The other day a journalist with the Scotsman newspaper said on her blog that the 'Red squirrel was set to oust the  Monster as Loch Ness's main attraction'! May I first assure everyone that this will never  happen . However, on a serious note, the article did draw attention to the promotion of the natural environemnt  around Loch Ness and all that can be enjoyed in it from wildlife watching to 'white water sledging' ( see www.bootsnpaddles.co.uk),  that the area will receive in 2013 as a result a grant Destnation Loch Ness has received from VisitScotland.
As some of you will be aware, I work for Destination Loch Ness and it will be part of my responsibilities to ensure that the promotion is successful and delivers real economic benefit to the area. Challenging ? - in some respects yes, but when you know yourself that the area has so much to offer ( see at www.visitlochness.com ) beyond checking out for the elusive Nessie, its just a matter of getting the message out there and telling everyone. All of which brings me back to the Red Squirrel .. no it's not as famous as the monster but you have a far better opportunity of seeing this wonderful small animal. Indeed numbers in the area are amongst the largest and healthiest in the UK in no small measure due to the fact that the dreaded grey squirrel has not penetrated as far north as Loch Ness and spread  disease that kills our red furry friends!