| Hi, my name is Linda Shute from New Jersey and I'd | | | | Loch Ness has many moods from the sultry to the |
| like to tell you about my exciting trip to Scotland and | | | | serene. Strange currents move across and below the |
| "The Highlands". My hunger to travel to far away | | | | surface and even sturgeon have been known to swim |
| places has not diminished as I have grow older I still | | | | across the loch. |
| enjoy far away places and like to meet the folks who | | | | The waters are so black from the depth and pitch it's |
| live there. Being an avid horse enthusiast, and riding | | | | hard find anything even on sonar, so who knows what |
| since childhood, I like to combine these two pleasures | | | | people have seen or not seen. You have to make up |
| whenever I can. | | | | your own mind whether Nessie swims freely through |
| One day while browsing my new travel catalogue | | | | those dark waters or not. |
| from Equitours, (they offer worldwide riding holidays), I | | | | Next it was onward to Aberdeen to return the car and |
| found a trip to Scotland that I just couldn't pass up. I | | | | go to the stables for my horseback part of the trip |
| phoned them and booked the horseback trip and | | | | which was stationed out of a small town called |
| extended the trip to include a week of traveling via | | | | Tomintoul in the Highlands. |
| rental car and stay at Bed-and-Breakfast homes. | | | | I stayed at the same hotel for the week and the |
| This would ensure I would get off the beaten path to | | | | horseback tours headed out in a different direction |
| meet the local people and just maybe get a glimpse of | | | | each day and lasted about 5 to 6 hours. I found |
| the Loch Ness Monster. | | | | Tomintoul to be a sleepy little town with not much |
| Unlike the trip I took to Ireland, first I did the horseback | | | | action you could say they rolled up the sidewalks at |
| trip and then traveled on my own in a rental car. | | | | dusk. |
| This time I drove around first, then did the horseback | | | | On this trip there were three other riders from England |
| trip. | | | | and one other lady from the US. |
| Off to the travel agent I went with checkbook in hand. | | | | For the week we were all suppose to ride the |
| I paid for the airline tickets and booked the rental car | | | | Highland ponies. This I did not like at all. I found them to |
| and picked up the Bed-and-Breakfast information. I | | | | be slow and pokey with not much get up a go spirit. |
| flew into Glasgow, rented a car and headed east | | | | At the end of the day my legs were so tired from the |
| towards Edinburgh. | | | | constant urging on of this animal I was miserable. I |
| After getting lost and found several times in this city, I | | | | complained so much they finally let me go out into the |
| finally found my destination castle. | | | | pasture and pick another mount. |
| I took a tour of Edinburgh Castle. This was a | | | | I chose a high-spirited half Arabian mare for the rest of |
| breath-taking experience in two ways: the shear | | | | the week and I was very happy with her. |
| beauty of the place and It was a huge, very steep hill, I | | | | One of our day trips was to the Glenlivet Distillery |
| had to walk up to get to the castle. | | | | where we tied our mounts to the fence and wet inside |
| Once at the entrance, I asked the guard who was the | | | | for the tour and taste test. |
| big bronze statue of and he replied "William Wallace, | | | | I'm not usually much of a straight whiskey drinker but |
| he is similar to your George Washington in the | | | | on this day I made an exception. Needless to say the |
| Americans fight for freedom". | | | | ride home was very interesting. Most days where |
| After the tour of the castle and a peek at the crown | | | | spent on trails through the hills and crossing streams or |
| jewels it was a much easier trek downhill to the car. | | | | forest. |
| I headed northwest towards Stirling then on to Fort | | | | The Heather was not in bloom when I was there and |
| William and Loch Ness. I spent a day and a night in | | | | this was a bit disappointing, I could see that the hillsides |
| Fort William browsing old museums, enjoying a lovely | | | | would be blazing with color just a few weeks after |
| dinner, complete with local folk musicians and dancers. | | | | my departure. On our last day in Tomintoul were taken |
| In the morning I was off to Loch Ness and in search of | | | | to a nearby town and to watch the one and only |
| the mystery monster. | | | | Highland Games I have ever seen. |
| Loch Ness is a really huge lake 22 miles long with | | | | They started out with a parade of horse drawn |
| waters as black as pitch, in its deepest parts it's said | | | | carriages, bagpipers and all the competitors walking |
| to be about 700 feet. | | | | behind them all were dressed in Kilts. |
| I learned that the legend of 'Nessie' the monster dates | | | | They had dancing, log throwing, tossing the caber, tug |
| back to 565 AD. I visited the Loch Ness museum and | | | | of war, and other contest I have know idea what the |
| found some very interesting information. Sonar | | | | name of it would be it was not like anything I had ever |
| surveys of the loch using the latest equipment have | | | | seen before. Everything was more of a Medieval type |
| failed to find any conclusive evidence of Nessie | | | | atmosphere. |
| existence, but neither have they proved that she | | | | At last much to my dismay, my vacation has come to |
| doesn't exist. | | | | an end and I must return to New Jersey. |