Spider-run B&B has the Loch Ness monster as a neighbor

Just off the western shore of Loch Ness, amidst the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands, sits Morlea Bed & Breakfast, run by Margaret “Peggy” Dykhuizen Robertson, B’84, and her husband, Mike.

In 2023, the Robertsons retired to Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland. After a few years, they decided retired life wasn’t for them just yet — they wanted a challenge. “We wanted to do more than just retire,” Robertson said. “We still had more to give.”

They soon came across the 1890 stone-built B&B in Drumnadrochit. “This opportunity came up for us, and we jumped for it,” she said. “We figured that it was a good match for both of our strengths.” They moved in to the B&B in November 2025.

Drumnadrochit is a small town built around a bridge over the River Enrick and is home to approximately 1,100 residents — along with Scotland’s folklore icon, the Loch Ness monster.

The B&B is located on the Great Glen Way, a 79-mile trail stretching along Scotland’s longest valley. In peak tourist season, the glen attracts around 500,000 visitors, and Drumnadrochit “explodes,” said Robertson.

Robertson and her husband had each worked in the hospitality field. And with her degree from the Robins School of Business, the couple had no trouble taking on this new challenge. They outsource only a few services, like laundry. Otherwise, they run the four-room B&B themselves.

In just 60 days after purchasing the B&B, the Robertsons hosted 50 guests visiting from all around the world. This summer is their first tourist season, which will keep them busy until October. The Robertsons especially enjoy their guest lounge: “We have also spent many an evening together with guests from other parts of the world just chatting away and learning about each other’s cultures.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” she said. “Everybody has been wonderful.”