Hunting for Nessie...

This was our second Scottish Christmas, and Jessie came over from Spain to join us for the holidays. Having braved driving once with Joe, we decided to rent a car again and cross "Loch Ness" off our list of places to visit.

First up, the snowy Cairngorns and a stop at the Tomatin distillery.


The snow turned into rain at Inverness, and Loch Ness was shrouded in storm clouds by the time we arrived.


But we made the best of it and used Urquhart Castle as our base for Nessie hunting...


...and taking lots of photos.

Jessie and I:


Matt takes the castle!

Winter travel in Scotland doesn't really give you a lot to work with in terms of daylight or good weather, but it means fewer crowds and cheap rates at adorable inns with attached pubs and gourmet restaurants. Plus, I think I read somewhere that Nessie comes out more in the rain.