FAMILY Tales & Legends · Story 2 of 3 Auf Deutsch

Loch Ness, Nessie and Urquhart Castle

🖨️ Print this story

A Story for Children and Families

Imagine you are driving through the Great Glen, the big valley that cuts right across the Highlands. Next to you lies a long, dark loch. The hills rise steeply on both sides. The loch is called Loch Ness.

Loch Ness is about 37 kilometres (23 miles) long. At its deepest point it is more than 200 metres deep. It even holds more water than all the lakes in England and Wales put together. So it is easy to understand why people have said for many years that something unknown might live in its dark water.

The Search for Nessie

People lovingly call the famous Loch Ness Monster Nessie. The oldest known story goes back more than 1,500 years. In the year 565, Saint Columba is said to have met a large creature at the River Ness. He is said to have ordered it to leave a person alone. However, the story was only written down later and belongs to Scotland’s early traditions.

In 1933, George Spicer said he had seen a large animal cross the road in front of his car and disappear towards Loch Ness. After that, stories about Nessie became famous all over the world. Many people came to the loch to search for her with binoculars, cameras and later even with sonar.

There were some famous photos and films. Some of them later turned out to be hoaxes. During big searches, such as the sonar search Operation Deepscan in 1987, unexplained objects were spotted in the water. But a monster was never confirmed. To this day, there is no credible scientific proof that Nessie really exists.

But that doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to look. If you gaze across the dark water and see small waves or spot a shadow under the surface, you are welcome to wonder: was that a fish, a tree trunk, a wave, or maybe Nessie after all?

Urquhart Castle

On the shore of Loch Ness stands the ruin of Urquhart Castle. The castle sits on a rocky point above the water. From up there you can see far across the loch. It was a very good place to see who was travelling on the water or along the paths through the valley.

Urquhart Castle was once one of the largest castles in Scotland. There were already fortifications on this spot more than 1,000 years ago. During the Scottish Wars of Independence, the castle changed hands several times between Scottish and English control. Later it was attacked again and again by the Lords of the Isles.

The castle was not just a nice place for knights and feasts. It was an important military stronghold. Banquets were held in the Great Hall. But there was also a prison, high walls and heavy weapons for defence.

During the Jacobite risings, government troops used the castle. When they left, they blew up parts of it so that their enemies could not take it over as a fortress. That is why Urquhart Castle is a ruin today. But the walls, the Grant Tower and its position on the loch still show how mighty the castle must once have been.

When you stand there, you can imagine guards looking out over the loch. Maybe they would have kept an eye out for Nessie too, if they had already heard of her back then.

The Fairy Tree near Urquhart Castle

Near Urquhart Castle there is also a special tree that many visitors know as the Fairy Tree. Colourful ribbons, small strips of cloth or messages sometimes hang from its branches and twigs.

People often bring ribbons like these as a wish. Some wish for luck for their family. Others think of someone they miss. Others ask for good weather, a safe journey or simply a lovely adventure in Scotland.

In Scottish folklore, fairies were not little figures from children’s books. People in earlier times believed they were powerful beings of nature. They were said to live in hills, at springs, in old woods and in special trees. That is why many people treated such places with respect.

Maybe you would like to be quiet for a moment at the Fairy Tree and make a wish of your own. It doesn’t have to be a big wish. Maybe you would like to see Nessie, find a rainbow or simply have a really lovely day at Loch Ness.

It is important to protect the tree and nature. If you leave a wish, please don’t bring anything that could later litter the landscape. A thought, a photo or a quiet wish is just as lovely as a ribbon.

Fort Augustus

At the southern end of Loch Ness lies Fort Augustus. The village sits where Loch Ness meets the Caledonian Canal. The canal links several lochs and rivers and creates a waterway through the Highlands from the North Sea to the Atlantic.

Fort Augustus is a lovely place for a break. It is especially exciting to watch the boats at the locks. A lock is like a big water gate. It helps boats move from a higher water level to a lower one, or the other way round.

When a boat enters a lock, the gates are closed. Then water is let in or let out. The boat slowly rises or sinks. Then the next gate opens and the boat can carry on. Children can see really well here how the canal works.

Fort Augustus used to be a military site. The fort was built after the Jacobite rising of 1715 and named after Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. Today the village is much quieter. Visitors come for the loch, the locks, the boats and of course for Nessie.