Rose Pedals . . .: Riding in Search of Nessie

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Fort William to Drumnadrochit (Loch Ness)

53 miles, 2,192 feet of climbing

Fantastic ride today! No threat of rain, nice roads to ride on, and we got to ride to famous Loch Ness - the alleged home of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. For most of the first 20 miles of our ride, we rode on a cycle path, which provided stunning views and and a peaceful, low traffic environment in which to ride.

We visited the Commando War Memorial, a monument dedicated to the men of the original British Commando forces raised during World War ll. At our mid-morning cappuccino stop, we struck up a conversation with a Scot wearing full highland dress. Turns out he was a bagpiper on his way to an event where he was to perform. He was nice enough to go to his car and get his bagpipes, and then he played a song on his bagpipes just for us! He played "The Roses of Prince Charlie" right there on the side of the road while we stood there and listened. What an awesome experience!

Once Loch Ness came into view, I started looking for anything that resembled that eerie, prehistoric-looking creature in that famous photograph, but, alas, I saw nothing even close. In fact, Loch Ness looks like every other loch we've seen so far. Our destination town, Drumnadrochit (which, right or wrong, I have decided to pronounce, "Drama-rocket"), a tourist-oriented town located right on Loch Ness, pretty much thrives on keeping the notion of the Loch Ness Monster alive. There are lots of "Nessie"-themed hotels, eateries, and hokey sourvenier items for sale. Fortunately, I already blew my sourvenier budget on a pencil that says "Scotland" topped with a figurine of a bagpiper (just like my bagpiper friend, mentioned above). Anyway, it was a very fun day, both on and off the bike.