It was always going to generate headlines when an American travel writer posted on Facebook that he was unimpressed by Loch Ness and he had the audacity to suggest that Nessie did not exist.

Needless to say my article was guaranteed to get a prominent place on today’s edition of the Inverness Courier – yes it was today’s splash.

I approached my regular contacts for a comment and the article all came together quite quickly with a few additional comments which were submitted.

Needless to say they thought the writer’s comments were wide of the mark as thousands of people enjoy Loch Ness annually and there were a number of recorded sightings of the elusive Nessie every year.

To be honest I can understand the criticism of the review because the author just whizzed past in his car rather than appreciating the scenery and it was, in my humble opinion, overly critical.

For the record Loch Ness and Nessie are a major draw for thousands of tourists from across the world and that cannot be denied.

Tourism bosses hit back after criticism

TOURISM leaders have hit back after an American travel writer was critical of Loch Ness and claimed Nessie did not exist. 

Cameron Hewitt – who was driving from Inverness to Skye, past the loch – shared his thoughts via Facebook to his 36,000 followers in what can only be described as a rant of more than 1400 words. 

Mr Hewitt described the loch as “the most boring, and most overhyped lake I have ever laid eyes on”. He said there was nothing remotely interesting about the loch once you were there and claimed “there is no Loch Ness Monster… period”. 

He added: “It’s just empty hype, invented in the 1930s, kept alive by hoax after hoax, seemingly for no other reason than to get people excited about a little stretch of the nothingness contained within the Scottish interior.” 

However, he did say that Urquhart Castle may be the saving grace of Loch Ness but added: “Which is less an endorsement of Urquhart Castle than it is an indictment of Loch Ness.” 

The criticism made national and international headlines as coincidentally, yesterday, High Life Highland launched a campaign to promote the region. Loch Ness has recently been ranked as one of the top three most Insta-worthy landmarks – popular on social media channel Instagram – in the UK according to a recent survey. 

Willie Cameron, who runs the Loch Ness Clansman hotel overlooking the loch, said Mr Hewitt was talking rubbish. 

Mr Cameron, who is known locally as “Mr Loch Ness”, added: “There’s one way to get publicity – you be controversial and you will get publicity. 

“There are lots of wonderful places in Scotland but the fact that he was calling Loch Ness disappointing, that was a lot of nonsense.” 

He said the post was purely to grab the headlines and get his name known. He added: “It was just to get publicity for Cameron Hewitt Productions – who had ever heard of Cameron Hewitt before? Everybody knows about him now.” 

Mr Cameron said he was totally wrong to claim that Nessie did not exist because 4000 people had seen something on the loch – whether it was something physical or something that appeared out of the ether. 

He said: “Nessie is Nessie and the whole thing, as far as Loch Ness is concerned, is it is a global icon which attracts people from all over the world here.” 

Jo de Sylva, chairwoman of local tourism group Visit Inverness Loch Ness, said: “Loch Ness and the surrounding areas hold some of the most interesting and thought-provoking myths, legends, stories and history. 

“Loch Ness is more than just one road on the side of the loch – Dores beach offers a view down the loch that can’t be beaten. 

“To spend time on the beach first thing in the morning to absorb the stillness that only exists in the quiet morning before everyone else has risen and your only company are the birds and the gentle lapping of the loch is something that can’t be described without being there.” 

She said the area could not be experienced on a whistle-stop tour and that was why so many people visited and then came back for an extended stay. She added: “That’s when the magic happens and you see and discover the gems we keep hidden for our special visitors.” 

Freda Newton, managing director of Loch Ness by Jacobite, said: “I’ve been running Loch Ness by Jacobite for 20 years and never once have I tired of the views of Loch Ness. It is beautiful all year and certainly not boring.

“I know I’m not alone in this – 325,000 people come to visit Loch Ness on our cruises each year.” 

Michael Golding, the chief executive of Visit Inverness Loch Ness, said: “Loch Ness remains one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with 1.6 million people visiting the area each year.” 

He said that people visited because the scenery was stunning and there was a warm Highland welcome from people who loved living here. He added: “If you’re lucky, you might catch sight of Nessie or something you can’t explain.” 

The new campaign launched by High Life Highland, in partnership with VisitScotland, highlights the natural and cultural heritage of the Highlands and Islands. 

The Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project will encourage visitors to explore and experience the more remote and rural parts of the area, as well as inspiring them to attend and support festivals and events, workshops, visitor attractions and outdoor locations. 

The project’s aim is to encourage visitors to holiday in the “shoulder months” outwith the typical holiday season and to visit locations with growth potential. 

From The Inverness Courier on Friday, June 17, 2022.

The original critical post in full:

Cameron Hewitt is at Loch Ness. 13 June at 12:48:

I hate Loch Ness. There, I said it.

(Before we go any further: If you don’t appreciate it when travel writers tee off on places they hate, please skip this post. You’ve been warned. Personally, I believe that the flipside of having a passion for something is that when that something goes wrong, you get really, really cranky about it. It’s why Roger Ebert’s best movie reviews were often about films he hated, hated, hated. So…this one’s for you, Rog.)

Yesterday I drove from Inverness to the Isle of Skye — across the middle of Scotland. I could have taken a scenic back-roads route, through little villages whose names you’ve never heard of. But I had to drive along the longest, deepest, most boring, and most overhyped lake I have ever laid eyes on, simply because so many people want to see it…so, therefore, I have to see it, too. (It’s my professional duty. What’s their excuse?)

Famous as it may be, there’s nothing remotely interesting about Loch Ness, once you’re actually here. Loch Ness doesn’t even crack the top 25 list of “prettiest Scottish lochs.” It’s simply a long, narrow lake with a string of cheesy roadside attractions, and a not-very-dramatic mountains on the far side. It’s almost as if the Scots, determined to wring a little touristic value out of this giant waste of space, at some point said, “Hmm…we should come up with some utterly fabricated story to get people to want to spend time and money here.”

And so the Loch Ness Monster — Nessie — was born.

In my travel memoir, The Temporary European, I devote an entire section of essays to the theme of “Deconstructing Clichés” — including one about Scotland’s Highland Games. There’s a lot of cliché in travel, especially in places like Scotland. However, I find that very often, clichés are rooted in real truth and, when approached thoughtfully, can unlock deep cultural insights.

But not the Loch Ness Monster.

There is no Loch Ness Monster…period. It does not exist. Never has. It’s just empty hype, invented in the 1930s, kept alive by hoax after hoax, seemingly for no other reason than to get people excited about a little stretch of the nothingness contained within the Scottish interior.

It’s frustrating because there is so much to see in Scotland that’s so much better than Loch Ness. But if you’re taking a “Highlands Highlights” tour from Edinburgh or Inverness, it’s practically obligatory to include this giant lake. Many of these tours even add on a pointless boat trip on the loch. If you choose to skip the boat trip, you save a little money…then you waste a lot of time by having to wait around, lakeside, while the paying customers waste their time and their money on a boring lake trip, looking for something that no tourist, in the history of tourism, has ever actually seen, in millions and millions of attempts, not once, not ever.

I stopped off at the one and only legitimately thoughtful roadside attraction, the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition, which breaks the mold by bothering to evaluate the scientific merits of the Nessie legends. (The final film invites you to make up your own mind…but the case against is ironclad.) Even at this place, the shop is at least as big as the exhibit itself. Whisky, shortbread, knock-off kilts, Nessie dolls, Outlander-branded tartan pocket squares…it’s all right here, for your shopping convenience, under one roof. (They may be skeptics about Nessie, but they are in no way skeptical when it comes to Nessie’s earning potential.)

Urquhart Castle may be the saving grace of Loch Ness…which is less an endorsement of Urquhart Castle than it is an indictment of Loch Ness. Urquhart perches strategically on a little knob of land, mid-lake, offering horizon-to-horizon views of Scotland’s least appealing loch, on a liter-per-liter basis. Urquhart was once a mighty and formidable castle…500 years ago. But it was destroyed, and never rebuilt, and now it’s an empty shell with a decent visitors center, a dated introductory film, a few information plaques scattered around, and plenty of viewpoints where you can stand overlooking Loch Ness side-by-side with your travel partner, nudging them in the ribs with your elbow and winking and chuckling, while pretending you’re seeing something that nobody has ever seen, not once, not ever, all the while deep down feeling an unarticulated shame at the dawning certainty that this entire exercise has been a massive waste of your precious vacation time and money. (Cue music: “Hello, darkness, my old friend…”)

I think I have such a chip on my shoulder partly because I find it insulting to the other great sights of Scotland and its Highlands that Loch Ness consumes far more than its share of oxygen. I like to imagine a parallel world where Loch Ness does not exist. In that world, people devote their time to so many other, genuinely amazing attractions in this part of Scotland:

Culloden Battlefield & Visitor Centre — even closer to Inverness — is one of the most interesting, best-presented, most evocative historical sights I’ve seen in the UK. This site of the final battle on British soil — the battle that brought about an end to the campaign of Bonnie Prince Charlie, and the entire Highlands clan system — is exceptionally well-described by its high-tech visitors center, and live tours help bring the actual site of the battlefield to life.

You want wildlife? Actual, real Scottish animals that actually, really exist and are actually, really amazing? Head to the Leault Working Sheepdogs show, just south of Inverness. Here you can watch Alan — a salt-of-the-earth Highland farmer, who was born and raised on this very patch of land — demonstrate his sheepdogs as they follow his commands to run in broad circles to bring in a herd of sheep. As someone who grew up with a Shetland sheepdog — who would run in mindless circles in our backyard, herding imaginary sheep (that’s the dog, not me)— it was nothing short of astonishing to watch these animals do what they do, when properly trained. (They do these demonstrations most days, except Saturdays, at 4 pm, but it’s not guaranteed. Be sure to call ahead to confirm it’s happening, and to get driving instructions — it’s tricky to find: +44 1540 651 402.)

If you enjoy whisky, head to Speyside, about an hour from Inverness. You can tour some big, famous distilleries (Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet are the most popular) and, on weekdays, visit Speyside Cooperage, where they assemble the barrels for aging whisky. (Just be sure to book ahead — these places are popular and, like most things in Scotland these days, currently understaffed.)

I enjoyed some beautiful live traditional music in the pubs and clubs of Inverness (specifically, MacGregor’s; Hootananny Inverness is also great). If you’re on your way into Inverness along the shores of Loch Ness, skip the stop, get in a bit earlier, and find some fiddlers, accordionists, or guitarists to enjoy over a pint or a dinner.

Farther afield, if you want a truly spectacular castle-on-the-water experience (which puts Urquhart to shame), either head west to Eilean Donan Castle, near the bridge to the Isle of Skye; or east to Dunnottar Castle, perched on a jagged rock just offshore from Scotland’s coast.

And on, and on, and on. I’m about halfway through a three-week road trip around Scotland. And, if I’m being honest, there’s not much I’m seeing that isn’t more impressive than Loch Ness.

Look: I don’t blame you for being curious to see Loch Ness. You are up against a massive, well-funded, global campaign (if not conspiracy) to drum up some interest in this big, dumb lake. And for this reason, tour companies have to include Loch Ness…because if they don’t, everyone will complain.

But what if it weren’t that way? What if you were the rare tourist who came to your senses while planning your itinerary, and zagged where everyone else is zigging? Just try this on for size: Say to your travel partner, “You know what? Let’s skip Loch Ness. Instead, let’s do that sheepdog show, or do a whisky tasting, or hit a couple of cool castles, or find some amazing live music.”

Am I completely off-base here? Have you been to Loch Ness and actually enjoyed it — relative to the other great sights of Scotland? (Come on, be honest.) Or have you, like me, found it an astonishing waste of time?

Change my mind. What am I missing?