G’day mate ! - as they say in Tassie ! The people here are so friendly and helpful, it’s refreshing - it feels just like home.

What strikes me, is the number of well made and signposted wild trails there are here, all with well fenced viewpoints and interpretation boards at every viewpoint ! We did an excellent cliff top walk on the Tasman peninsular and saw families with children and grannies enjoying the beautiful scenery. We were able to take the car close to the viewpoints and the trails were good enough for wheelchair users. These trails stretch for miles not just metres ! We walked 10 miles and saw truly wild kangaroos and sea eagles close up in what seems like pristine forest. We even found a half mile cliff top boardwalk designed with wheelchair users in mind, excellent to watch Gannets diving into the sea hundreds oof feet below.

There are those in Scotland who say we should keep all the trails wild and unchanged but that’s OK if you are fit and able to wade knee deep through bog and heather but for all those people who either can’t do that or don’t want to do that, this is not an option. The Forestry Commission, plus others, need to do much more to make some of the wild places in certain popular spots, more accessible to the majority of people who don’t want to have to dress up in heavy boots and take survival blankets in order to get close to nature.

In New Zealand also, they put eco loos in almost all country car parks - something I have yet to see anywhere in Scotland. Somehow, it always seems to come down to money, or lack of it. How then do all these other countries manage to do so well in providing toilets, interpretation boards and well made dry paths for walking in their wild places?
Scotland has some of the finest wilderness and a great network of roads to give access to even the remotest parts. Wouldn’t it be just great to see many more places where you can  get out of the car and walk as a family - granny, wheelchair and all. Destination Loch Ness has started to address this by creating long distance paths around Loch Ness for the enjoyment of everyone.

One personal wish I have, is for a walk at the top of the Cairngorms funicular railway where it seems ludicrous to corral people in the visitor centre at the top, denying all access to the glorious plateau. If a well constructed short walk was made that allowed people to get out in the fresh air without damage to the fragile habitat, it would then be a thing of the past to hear all the complaints from travellers on the way down, who feel they have been cheated.

81 to 90 series featuring 10 ideas a week from Visit Loch Ness

81. Find the ‘totem’ poles at Abriachan Woods
82. Visit the historic Beauly Priory
83. Take a walk in the ancient oak woodlands at Bona
84. Find the ‘secret loch’ at Inverfarigaig
85.  Buy your favourite whisky at the Whisky Shop, Drumnadrochit
86. Cruise on Loch Ness from Fort Augustus
87. Walk to the Upper Falls at Foyers
88. Step back in time at the Kettle Hole Lochans, Littlemill Wood, Inverarnie
89. Photograph the water lilies on Loch Bran
90.  Drive up Glen Affric ‘ the most beautiful glen in Scotland’ as far as the road goes

In my trawls of the web looking at all things Loch Ness, from time to time I come across a little gem - this is one of them.

I recall this man interviewing people at the Benleva Hotel, Drumnadrochit (where in reference to his small budget, the price of a pint & their malt of the month is surprisingly reasonable)  . I hope that his insurers aren’t reading as he’s let the cat (or the monster) out of the bag regarding the loss of his camera…. and we can only wonder what has become of Graham…

Cheers for the Giggle!

 That Guy: Nessie trip fails Loch, stock and whisky barrel
4:00AM Sunday Oct 11, 2009 - New Zealand Herald

As many of you are aware, I have been working on a groundbreaking TV show called Leigh Hart’s Mysterious Planet, in which I travel the world solving its greatest mysteries.

The programme is in post-production and is going very well. Bigfoot is already in the can, as is our in-depth investigation into the UFO crash at Roswell.

What follows are some excerpts from my director’s diary, taken while shooting the Loch Ness Monster episode in Scotland. They are brief notes but I think you can get an insight into what goes into a programme like this.

Day one: The Mysterious Planet team arrives at Loch Ness to begin investigation. Weather and conditions are perfect for “Nessie” hunting.

Day one (afternoon): “The Nessie Hunter” - our vessel for the investigation - has been double booked, meaning we are unable to get out on to the water until a primary school expedition from Inverness has finished using it. This won’t be until the following Thursday.

Day two: Another setback! An administrative error has meant that all our hi-tech sonar and underwater tracking equipment has accidentally been sent to the pyramids in Egypt; conversely all our sandrovers built specifically for the later Pyramids episode arrive on time at the shores of Loch Ness.

Day three: We meet Scottish cryptozoologist Graham Cosbee. He is to join the expedition as a consultant.

Days four to 11: Spent in local taverns interviewing witnesses. Some of this is productive but much of it isn’t and it could be argued that a couple of the crew went a little off the rails during this period.

We are forced to spend a good deal of the production budget on beer and Scots whisky to get people to talk to us. A cryptozoologist must have an open mind at all times, but it is very difficult to do this when you have a cracking hangover. We begin to see the first signs that everything is not well in Graham’s personal life. Graham is on the phone to his partner in Edinburgh, repeatedly trying to patch up his relationship. It is a well-known fact that cryptozoologists have a less than ideal track record on the marriage front, and Graham knew the risks when he got involved. Investigations that seldom ever get any results can take their toll on the cryptozoologist and those close to them. I try to reassure Graham that anything worthwhile is worth sticking with.

Day 12: Finally, we are able to get on to the Loch for the first time. George, our skipper, is very experienced and has seen the beast a number of times and he takes us to the hotspots.

That afternoon, another setback. One of our less experienced cameramen throws a $25,000 camera overboard, thinking that it is one of the waterproof models. It records for a few seconds but the footage is hardly worth the expense.

We spend the rest of the day coming up with a believable story to tell the insurance company.

Day 13: Graham’s relationship has taken a turn for the worse. His partner Jacinta is having a platonic relationship and, by the sounds, a very sexual one with an Edinburgh furniture upholsterer called Brian.

I waste a lot of valuable research time consoling Graham once he learns that Brian has moved into his house in Edinburgh. I convince him to stay with the team another couple of days.

Day 14: Nothing really happens.

Day 15: See above.

Day 16: Back out on the water at night, we dredge the water around the castle and snag something large! We eventually pull it aboard only to find it is a cable of some sort, so we cut it free, and by doing so accidentally cut off all the electricity to the south and west sides of the Loch.

Day 17: We interview legendary Loch Ness expert Adrian Shine. He adds a lot of much-needed credibility and factual information to the documentary.

Graham Cosbee, on the other hand, is unshaven and drinking heavily.

Day 22: After losing more hi-tech equipment overboard I catch the sonar team watching porn on the monitor designed to show images from the bottom of the Loch. It is a disappointing day all round.

Day 26: After a few more disaster-filled days I start to turn my focus to the Pyramids episode.

Day 27: Time to leave. While we are packing up the equipment and I am delivering my closing summary to camera, Graham Cosbee has a nervous breakdown and attacks me.

We escape in the Mysterious Planet rental car but not before Graham has thrown a tripod through the front windscreen.

We travel to Egypt.

The following suggestions are Courtesy of Joe, a regular visitor from Alabama USA!

100-Climb the path to Battery Rock and enjoy the view overlooking Ft.
Augustus and Lochness
101- Walk the forest path from Ft. Augustus to Invermoriston, starting at Jenkins Park.
102- Bike the forest trail from The Inch in Ft. Augustus to Invermoriston
103- Enjoy the “Malt whiskey of the month” at the Inchnacardoch Hotel bar

Thanks Joe!

If YOU have a favorite thing to do in the Loch Ness area, just email info@visitlochness.com with your suggestions!

Weekly series 71 to 80 from Adelaide, Australia

Posting today from the Mercure Grosvenor Hotel, Adelaide – we booked a double room with a king sized bed but got a queen sized bed and a room which has just one small hanging space and 1 bedside table! I have never given this much thought until now, when we relax with a cuppa in bed, as you do when on hols (grin) -  nowhere for one of us to put their cuppa down, grr ! - have you ever tried getting into bed with a cup of tea in your hand?? Then the lack of hanging space and NO drawers in the room at all, means that for 4 days we have to live out of our suitcase. This is most definitely not how to run a hotel of this price -  even the Travel lodge at Heathrow was better equipped and a fraction of the price. It makes me appreciate the reason why Visitlochness.com members all have to be committed to the Visit Scotland Quality Assurance scheme, which I am sure wouldn’t give a very good grade to this hotel at all.

From my own experience of self catering, we wouldn’t dream of having a double bed with just one bedside table and lamp. I know we would be downgraded if we even tried to do it. So I say thank goodness we have a scheme in Scotland to ensure good standards of accommodation that I know all our members do their best to continually improve, so that our visitors know what to expect from their accommodation, whatever grade they choose.

Next ten great ideas for things to do at Loch Ness.     

71. Photograph Cherry Island, the only island in Loch Ness
72. Find out about wildlife and plants on a Highland Council guided Ranger walk
73. Visit the ancient remains of Corrimony Cairn
74. Enjoy a pint at the Whitebridge Hotel
75. View Loch Ness from the Wellington lay by
76. Wild walk in the Monadhliath Mountains
77. Visit Kilmorack Art Gallery
78. Get your picture taken with Nessie at Fort Augustus
79. Walk down by the River Moriston to St Columba’s Well
80.  Visit the Clansman Centre, Fort Augustus

Check back next Friday for our next 10 Loch Ness ideas form Tasmania.

Well - tonight is our last in San Francisco ! What a great 3 days we have had here, in what was once called the hippy capital of the world. If you can remember Scott McKenzie, then I guess you must be in the silver surfer age group. Tourism is the biggest industry in San Francisco, the place just buzzes with life - no sign of a recession, though one or two shops have closed down, but these have quickly reopened by new businesses eager to make a name for themselves. That is one of the great things about the American way of free enterprise - it encourages all to strive for success. When these people get knocked down, they quickly bounce back again. On the down side of this are all the beggars on the streets. There seems to be one on every corner - sad casualties of the free enterprise system. They make our few beggars look positively affluent. This system has even gifted the beggars here with a whole host of ingenious and entertaining ways of extracting your spare change.

I wonder if, just as I have found this place to be so wonderfully vibrant and refreshingly different, do American visitors to Loch Ness find us at Loch Ness refreshingly different ?  I hope so. We have so much in common with our American friends, both historically and culturally, and I, for one, am very happy that we have this special relationship with the people of the USA.

I look forward now to the next leg of our journey to Australia from where I will be posting next week’s blog. We leave San Francisco having found no monsters, just a big friendly giant!! 

100 things to do at Loch Ness 61 to 70

Just have to say I like the new page Trail of the Seven Lochs

61  Stay up late and watch for badgers

62  Enjoy a dram at Fiddlers, award winning malt whisky bar

63  Walk the round trip from Inverfarigaig to Foyers

64  Go and watch the dolphins at Chanonry Point

65  Sit down by the shore and enjoy a sunset over Loch Ness

66  After a long walk enjoy a drink in the relaxed ambience of the Bog Cotton Café, Cannich

67  Stare up at the tallest tree in the UK in Reelig Glen

68  Hit the bulls eye with some archery, Boots ‘n’ Paddles

69  Count the different coloured dragonflies and damsel flies at Dog Falls

70 Find the memorial to Lady Jane Fraser on the shores of Loch Ness near Foyers