If you’re a cryptid lover, a visit to Loch Ness is a location you have to visit. Loch Ness, while a place steeped in history and breathtakingly beautiful, is best known for its mythical monster, Nessie, as we’ll affectionately call her. How are you going to properly consider new evidence if you haven’t seen the place where it happens for your yourself?
Loch Ness is nestled in a land full of castles, misty lochs, and rolling hills. The loch is the second largest loch in Scotland, with a surface area of 22 square miles, but it is the largest lake by volume in the UK because it is a whopping 755ft deep at its deepest point.
The loch first became famous in 1933 when there was the first widely publicized sighting by George Spicer, who saw “a most extraordinary form of animal” cross the road in front of their car. They described the creature as having a 4ft tall body that was 25ft from nose to the tip of its tail. They said it had a long, wavy, narrow neck, slightly thicker than an elephant’s trunk, which itself was the width of the road (a narrow single-track road only 12ft wide). Apparently, they saw no limbs, but it lurched toward the lock, presumably moving like a slug.
After Spicer’s sighting, other stories came in thick and fast, including the first photo in 1934, which you will be familiar with even if you pay little attention to the world of cryptozoology. Since, many have called out this photo as a hoax, and though many still claim to have sightings of Nessie, the general consensus is, unfortunately, that Nessie is in fact simply large sturgeon.
However – have you seen a sturgeon? They’re just as incredible a sight as Nessie herself! If you’re planning a trip to Scotland, a visit to Loch Ness is a must for your bucket list.
Looking for more unique bucket list ideas? We have a ton more great locations on our website, where you can also make your bucket list using our bucket list maker, or you can download the Buckil app, available on iOS and Android, to take your bucket list with you so you can add to it on the go.