Searching for the Loch Ness monster

We decided to continue our search on horseback. Polmaily House Hotel, where we were staying, manages to combine the luxuries of a delightful country house hotel with real child friendliness. It even has its own riding school. They have ponies and horses for every age, size and ability and we went on several delightful rides over the hills above Urquhart Castle, our eyes glued to the water. During one of these, our riding instructor told us of a fisherman friend whose sonar had picked up a huge shape. 'He goes out on his boat all the time and he knows what a shoal of fish looks like on sonar. This was 40 feet long and dropped like a stone to the bottom,' she whispered. Christian listened with eyes like saucers.

Still, after three rides, we'd seen no sign of a monster. We decided to get closer still. We went out with ghillie Bruce Wynn on his fishing boat in what turned out to be a storm with gale-force winds and mountainous waves. My fingers got frozen into their grasp on my fishing rod. Nevertheless, Christian managed to catch a two-pound salmon trout that we took back and devoured for our 'tea'. Delicious.

With all this freezing Scotch mist, we were in need of some serious comfort so it was just as well we were staying at Polmaily House. Just a few miles from the loch itself, the hotel has its own yacht dedicated to Nessie spotting, if you don't fancy a fishing trip with a ghillie. When you want some quiet grown-up time with a good book in front of the log fire, there is a whole range of children's activities - nature walks, biking, swimming, painting, picnics - with playleaders to look after them. There are lots of adult sporting activities available, too, when you're not busy on your search.

The hotel food is locally produced (lots of salmon and venison) and perfectly presented. Children have tea while you get ready for dinner and, whle you eat, they are generally flat out after the exertions of their day. If not, they can watch one of the children's library of 100 video tapes - all the children's bedrooms have a video. Christian had no problem selecting his choice - Loch Ness. Maybe we'll get to see the real thing next time.

Travel notes
Scotrail (0345 550033) takes 11 hours from London Euston to Inverness. Sleepers start at #99 return.
Polmaily House Hotel (01456 450343) offers a three-night package for a family of four with breakfast, tea and dinner, plus all activities for #506. They are also open over New Year for a special family break.