Fiona and I had a couple of hours to spare today on the way home from Inverness so instead of taking the usual way home along the side of Loch Ness we meandered back via Loch Duntelchaig (see photo). It's a lovely drive through an area locally known as the 'Inverness Lake District as there are several lochs, but Loch Duntelchaig is the biggest by far. I ran round it last year and it is 12 miles of wild, rough ground but well worth it for the views and bird life visible on the loch

Once again in the press this past week we have news and pictures of 'the best sighting of Nessie in 2011' stirring up once again the age old question , is there really a monster in Loch Ness? Well who am I to say, but what we all know is that the monster has made Loch Ness probably the best known body of inland water in the world. I set Google Alerts to pick up anything on Loch Ness and only today we hear the story that Alaska has possibly got it's own Loch Ness Monster! However, despite Nessie, tourism on Loch Ness did not in the past benefit to the extent that you would think. The vast majority of tourists would pass down the north side of the loch, stop at the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre, have a cruise out on the loch, visit Urquhart Castle and then move on elsewhere... very few visitors would visit the more picturesque south side. Happily though this has been changing in recent years, as more and more visitors realise that there is more to Loch Ness than a monster and that the area is becoming increasingly known for its great range of outdoor activities all of which means that people stay in the area longer. So while tourism on Loch Ness has much to thank Nessie for and will continue to be forever gratful, tourism in the area has now a wide base which is set to get ever better with the launch of the South Loch Ness Trail next month and the Great Glen Canoe Trail next year!

As you may be aware if you read this blog regularly, for the past two years part of my job for Destination Loch Ness has been to co ordinate the completion of the South Loch Ness Trail. It has not been without its problems to say the least but finally, at last, it is nearing completion and will be officially launched early next month. Primarily for walkers although all users can access it, it stretches 28 miles down the south side from Torbreck on the edge of Inverness to Loch Tarff near Fort Augustus and takes in some of the most spectacular scenery that the south side has to offer. Maps of the route will shortly be available at www.visitlochness.com
So, if you're in the area later in the year and keen on the outdoors why not come and walk, cycle or ride at least a section of it...

Was invited by a friend last weekend up to Brora to run the Brora 10km. It was a long time since I was last in Brora and I had forgotten how beautiful the coastal scenery is in the area. Before the race we went down to Brora Harbour and under a burning sun spent a very pleasant half hour gazing out over the lovely sandy beach to the calm sparkling sea. A large seal kept us amused as it bobbed up and down close to the shore. On to the race and the route followed some lovely minor roads behind Brora. If I had not been concentrating so much on simply surviving under the heat it would have been the perfect race ( despite this I was pretty pleased with my time!)
Brora is about an hour and a half drive north of Inverness and along with nearby Dornoch and Dunrobin Castle is well worth a visit. The two photos are of Dunrobin Castle and Dornoch beach.