Marathon Diver Splashes into Record Books
http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2033014
BBC News: Ness Marathon New World Record [RealOnePlayer]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3176730.stm
Pensioner Finds Nessie Fossil
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3069803.stm
Loch Ness Investigation
http://www.lochnessinvestigation.org/
Urquhart Castle
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/drumnadrochit/urquhart/
Drumnadrochit by Loch Ness
http://www.drumnadrochit.co.uk/

When one thinks of the vast cultural legacy that Scotland has bequeathed to the world, one is often reminded of these important figures: Sir Walter Scott, Adam Smith, Dave Hume, Robert Louis Stevenson, and of course Nessie, the massive prehistoric creature that allegedly inhabits the murky water of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. On October 9, 2003, after a 12-day underwater marathon, Lloyd Scott (a former fireman), completed his 26-mile diving expedition along a stretch of the loch. The trip was designed to raise money for a leukemia charity (and perhaps to catch a glimpse of Nessie as well), and was completed in an old-fashioned diving suit with lead boots. During his solitary trek, Scott only had one precarious moment, which occurred when he slipped off a ledge, and tumbled partway into the vast darkness of the loch before being caught by his safety line. When asked if he had seen any sight of the loch’s most famous denizen, Scott reported "I have only seen two fish up to now, which either means there are not many fish in the loch - or something has eaten them all." In an interview with BBC News shortly after emerging from the loch, Scott said he planned on taking a holiday to swim with great white sharks off the coast of South Africa. [KMG]

The first link leads to a news piece from the online edition of the Scotsman newspaper that talks about Mr. Scott’s recent underwater trials and tribulations. The second link will take visitors to another news piece on the subject from the BBC, complete with a video clip that features Mr. Scott emerging from the benthic depths of Loch Ness. The third link is to a news story from fall 2002 detailing the discovery of a Jurassic fossil on the banks of Loch Ness that seemed to bear some vague resemblance to Nessie. The fourth link leads to a Web site developed by Dick Raynor, who has been personally investigating Loch Ness phenomena since 1967. The site contains a wide variety of material about the various explorations and studies of the Loch, and is quite interesting. The fifth link leads to a site that profiles Urquhart Castle, a 13th-century military fortification that is located on Loch Ness. The final link will take visitors to a page about the peaceful (sometimes) village of Drumnadrochit, which is annually besieged by thousands of visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of Nessie or, barring that, at least purchasing any one of the bevy of souvenirs to be found in the local shops.