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My best ever holiday was when I was a mere eight years old, life was easy then and much more innocent!
We were living in the north of Scotland at the time, my father was an RAF pilot and had just been posted to a base there so the whole environment was new and waiting to be explored. The holiday we took was only about twenty miles or so from where we lived and only lasted 3 days but I will never forget it.
"We're going on a cruise down Loch Ness" my father told me in the spring of 1978 and you can imagine how my eyes lit up at the thought of hunting down Nessie!
For those of you who have never heard of Nessie, 'she' is a mythical beast or monster which is reputed to live in the loch (or lake). You used to hear of sightings almost every week back in the seventies and eighties but sadly no longer it seems.
We set off at the crack of dawn on a dull April morning and headed for the small town of
Inverness about twenty miles from our home. I say small advisedly as the population of about 20,000 inhabitants makes it the largest population centre for about 150 miles but it only really is a small town. Since writing this opinion the town has been given coveted status of a City!
We located the boat yard fairly easily, sat on the west bank of the River Ness and were shown to our craft by a friendly Scot, in fact all the Scots we met were friendly, even though we were their 'hated' enemy the Sassenachs! (English). Sorry if that is spelt wrong but my spell checker is having a fit!
The boat was clean and shone bright white as the sun had begun to poke through from behind a ragged cloud bank, amazing how some things just stick in your mind after all these years but the image of the boat stays with me today. Unfortunately the name of the craft eludes me, I do remember a swallow being painted on the hull so I shall refer to 'her' as Swallow.
We quickly loaded our luggage onto the boat and my brother, Peter (3years 6months) and I explored the vessel. It wasn't a big boat by any means, my sibling shared quarters under the bow of the boat and it was little more than a mattress really, but very snug.
There was a tiny galley, a living area in the centre of the boat with W/C and bunk beds for my parents. Most of our time was spent on deck though, in the cockpit area where the real work was done - steering the Swallow as we hunted for Nessie!
It was a fairly short journey upstream to get to the Loch, about 10 miles or so but on a boat that distance takes time. We were frustrated by the 5mph speed limits and also had to wait at a swing bridge which was closed to us, while the 'bridge master' let us through.
My father steered us expertly all the way until we could see the river link up with the Loch as it's massive bulk came into view. It was just getting dark as we entered the Loch as two excited boys ran around the boat expecting to see the monster coming to greet us.
We were disappointed as nothing unusual could be seen and I returned to the cockpit to pester my father for the umpteenth time to be allowed to steer. Surprisingly I was allowed to steer under the careful eyes of my dad and time flew past until it was time to moor up for the night.
We picked a sheltered cove and tied up to an old jetty, which had rotted away so that all that remained were the vertical poles. As we needed some supplies (alcohol I think but 8 year olds aren't interested in that kind of thing!) My dad and I had to row ashore in the dinghy to go to the nearby village.
It was exhilarating to row those hundred feet or so in the almost pitch black in a rubber dinghy. You could feel the water rippling beneath you as we got closer to the shore. It was almost perfectly silent except for the odd ripple of the water washing onto the shingle beach and it was getting chilly.
We hauled the boat ashore and walked through a small wood onto the main road which runs alongside the west side of the Loch and arrived at the small village of Invermoriston after a five minute walk. We then entered what was probably a pub, as it must have been about 7pm but I thought it was a shop at the time and left with our 'provisions'.
Back on boat we took a simple meal and then retired. Trying to sleep on a boat on Loch Ness while sharing quarters with your 3 year old brother is not easy. Monster stories galore were told (by me anyway) and cries of 'Mum, I'm scared!' Were often heard. I could swear that I saw Nessies eyes peering at me through the curtains!
Next day dawned perfectly still. We could see for the first time the majesty of the Loch, all thirty miles of it were as still as a millpond as the mountains rose ominously above on either side. My father suggested we took another ride on the dinghy and my brother accompanied us as we set out on another voyage of discovery.
After a couple of minutes I spotted what looked like two eyes peering out of the water - 'Nessie' I shouted and we bravely headed toward the creature. There was a loud 'quack!' And one of Nessies eyes took off and flew towards the side of the loch, I was disappointed again!
Back on board the Swallow we headed south down the Loch on our first full day afloat, arriving at Urquart Castle just before lunchtime. My concept of time then was based around mealtimes and the mythical 'bedtime' rather than hours on a clock so bear with me!
We moored below the walls of the ruin that is Urquart and went ashore to explore some more. After monsters, castles were my main interest and my brother and I swarmed all over the ruins, going into the dungeons and finding out every spiral staircase we could. Climbing to the top of the tallest tower I looked out over the waters of the loch, as I knew most Nessie sightings had been from the area around the castle. No luck still!
Back on the boat and we needed to make up time as we had only one more full day to go and we were barely half way down the loch. No speed limits meant we were able to open up the Swallow and watch her go! The wind ruffled up my hair as I sat on the bow, legs dangling over the edge, hypnotised by the froth and foam caused by our passing.
We arrived at the end of the loch by late afternoon and the village of Fort Augustus. The main attraction of this village is that it marks the start of the Caledonian Canal, built by Telford (I think) and linking up Loch Ness all the way down to Fort William almost a hundred miles south.
There are several locks to navigate in the village which was something I was looking forward to. Just to explain the word loch (or lock) has two meanings, it is the Scottish word for a lake as in Loch Ness and also a place where the level of a canal is raised by artificial means, rather like a watery elevator!
At the first lock I was put ashore, given a rope and told to help pull the boat through the locks, at least that's what I thought I had to do! 'Let go!' My dad shouted at me as the boat dragged me toward the edge of the lock and a drop of about twenty feet. Being rather stubborn I wasn't going to let go, the rope would get wet but luckily a kind old chap grabbed hold of me just before I was pulled over the edge, the rope falling harmlessly onto our boat.
After traversing the locks we moored and went to a small riverside pub for a meal. Most of the patrons in the bar (about a dozen locals) regaled me with stories of Nessie, funny how most of them had seen her! They seemed to be pleased with the enthusiastic reaction they got from me with each tale, the more unlikely the tale the more enthusiastic I became.
That night was much more restful as we had left Loch Ness behind us we could sleep soundly.
Next day we continued further down the Caledonian Canal which was an uneventful trip, arriving at the next Loch, Loch Oich around lunchtime before we had to turn around. We just managed to catch a glimpse of Ben Nevis, the tallest peak in the British Isles before we turned. Snow glistened on it's summit as I daydreamed of snowball fights, the last snow we had seen back home was about two months ago.
The return leg of the journey was interesting as by the time we arrived back at Loch Ness the wind had got up and the waves were about four feet high with 'white horses' at their caps. Not much you may think but in a boat about twenty feet long it is quite an experience. Sea sickness didn't bother me, but my poor mum suffered, maybe it was partly due to all the 'provisions' we had been buying en-route!
We stopped off at the tiny village of Foyers on the east of Loch Ness and went for a walk and some fresh air in the pine forests which cover the mountains around the area. From the top of a small mountain an hour after landing we looked down at our tiny boat as it bobbed up and down. It was time to return all too soon as the boat had to be back at Inverness by early next morning else we would have to pay a fine! So back we went.
Later that day as we were just about to leave the loch for the final time I spotted Nessie! This time it really was her, a line of well defined humps could be seen across the loch about half a mile away! My dad rushed to get his camera and a photo was taken - Nessie had been captured and I could return a hero to my friends with evidence of the catch!
We moored that night on the River Ness about five miles from the boat yard so we could get back in plenty of time. The drive back was quiet and uneventful but nothing would ever compare to the sighting of Nessie, I waited eagerly for the next few days as the photos were developed. My disbelieving friends would be proved wrong as the 'English boy' would show them proof of Nessie's existence!
The photos came out and there were Nessies humps clear as day. There was also a boat at one end of them which we hadn't seen at the time, 'it's the wake of that boat' my father told me with authority. I long to return to Loch Ness to find her!
POSTSCRIPT
If anyone else shares my passion for Nessie then try this site - www.lochness.co.uk
Some of the facts here may not be accurate due to the fact I was eight, but I hope you get a feel of how it felt to me then. A sad note is that my father was tragically killed in a flying accident about three months after this, my last holiday with him. He was a great man, who sadly I feel I never really got to know as his job was so demanding of his time, I hope he would be proud of me.
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