Good evening and Failte! Could a journey to Scotland be complete without a visit at Loch Ness? No! I do not believe in monsters; if there is a hidden unknown animal there, it must be more then one; a small herd of them... Loch Ness the center of the scottish tourism industry,and so it was. Masses of people crawled through the castle, climbed at the tower, and I had some problems, to take pics that create a "lonesome" atmosphere as I had it in my inner eye. Urquhart castle is situated at a small peninsula at the western shore of the loch, called Strone Point, near the village Drumnadrochit, where the "Nessie Information Center" is situated. History: Urquhart castle is one of the oldest and one of the largest castles in Scotland. In 1229 the Durward family granted the ground and the construction of the castle began to protect the important street on the western shore of Loch Ness. In 1296 Urquhart castle was captured by the english king Edward I. "Longshanks", but became a stronghold of Robert the Bruce after his victory. In the mid - fifteenth century the castle would seized from the scottish crown by the Earl of Ross, later given back. In 1509 Urquhart castle was given to the Clan Grant, and the Grant family owned it till 1912. In 1545 the castle Urquhart was occupied by Clan MacDonald, in 1644 it was occupied again by the Covenanters force. In the Jacobite uprisings of 1692 Urquhart castle was a stronghold of the english Williamite troops and was heavy damaged, after the war it was destroyed by the Williamite troops; it should not be able to become a Jacobite`s stronghold. Since this time Urquhart castle is a ruin; many stones were broke out and the people in the surrounding villages used the castle`s material for their own houses... Today the castle is owned by the National Trust of Scotland. What were we looking for at this place? I don`t know excactly. I had heard before, that Loch Ness should have a very special atmosphere; weather changes here very quickly, the sun goes away within minutes and dark clouds take place; the water changes from silver to dark black in a very short time, and the wind creates tenthousand little waves and reflections... Could one be the back of Nessie? No, I don`t believe in monsters, but the stage Mother Nature offered us, was gorgeous..... Hope you enjoy this pic and its history as I enjoyed. Thanks for your interest and your comments, they are always welcome... Bye, billc.