New Nessie centre is sure to be a monster hit for city

IT is one of Scotland's most enduring legends and a myth that refuses to fade away.

Tourists flock in their thousands to the bank of Loch Ness every year, hoping for a glimpse of its celebrated monster.

For decades they have been drawn by tales of strange stirrings on the surface of the water and a string of unexplained sightings of a huge beast.

Now, visitors to the Capital are being offered the chance to learn all about the mystery of Nessie in a new visitor attraction on the Royal Mile.

The owners of the Loch Ness 2000 exhibition centre on the banks of the beauty spot have unveiled a 500,000 attraction opposite the city chambers.

A mini-cinema promising visitors a 3D "virtual reality" experience of Loch Ness and its rich history of intrigue, investigations and myths is the main attraction at the centre, which boasts a huge range of Nessie memorabilia.

It is hoped the complex, which is being touted as Edinburgh's newest visitor attraction, will both lure more visitors to Loch Ness and offer tourists unable to venture north the chance to get a flavour of the area's famous scenery, as well as discover more about the celebrated tale.

For 5, visitors to the complex are entertained in the mini- cinema by a film hosted by Adrian Shine, who is renowned as the world's foremost expert on Loch Ness, after spending decades carrying out research there.

He relives famous sightings and landmark expeditions, and lifts the lid on what actually might be below the surface of Loch Ness.

The Loch Ness Discovery Centre on the High Street is the newest visitor attraction to open in Edinburgh since Mary King's Close, the complex offering tours of underground vaults below the city chambers which were sealed off for hundreds of years.

David Bremner, boss of the new centre on the Royal Mile and the son of the founder of the complex on the banks of Loch Ness, said: "My brother is still running the original Loch Ness centre, which attracts more than 200,000 people a year.

"We've been thinking of doing something like this in the city for some time. We thought Edinburgh would be a perfect place to try to attract people up to Loch Ness who might not already be planning to go there, particularly if they've heard about Scotland's most recognisable icon.

"The presentation is all in 3D so we are virtually able to take the visitors to Loch Ness themselves. A lot of visitors to Edinburgh aren't able to make it to Loch Ness, but this will allow them to discover all about the famous stories about Loch Ness and the monster.

"We hope the attraction is going to be a real success."

A spokesman for VisitScotland said: "This kind of initiative is hugely welcome."