Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch — the Scottish Gaelic and Scots word for a lake — in the Scottish Highlands.
At 16 metres above sea level, Loch Ness is best known for the story of the Loch Ness Monster and is part of a series of interconnected water bodies. Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56 km2, after Loch Lomond, but it is the largest by volume in the British Isles. It is also the second deepest loch in Scotland after Loch Morar.
Its water is murky, with exceptionally low visibility due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil. Loch Ness serves as the lower storage reservoir for a pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme.
Without a doubt, Loch Ness is best known as the home of the Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as 'Nessie'. Although most scientists affirm that the evidence confirming the existence of Nessie is not convincing, there are some ardent believers that affirm having seen it.
Everything started in 1934, when a published photograph, where something similar to a dinosaur was seen in the water, supported the mystery. Since then, hundreds of researchers and others attracted to the story have visited the loch looking for Nessie. In fact, the nearest town, Drumnadrochit, has become a huge tourist attraction as a result, to the point that Nessie figures and stuffed toys are the main souvenir in the area.
Who knows, maybe Nessie is trying to be seen...
