The Loch Ness Monster - one of Scotland's biggest draws.

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CAIRNDOW, Scotland -- Among the crop of family movies that opened at Christmas was The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep.

Based on the 1990 novel by Dick King-Smith (author of the Babe books), it's the story of a Scottish boy who (1) finds a prehistoric egg, (2) takes it home to his family's mansion on the shores of Loch Ness, (3) nurses it to shell-shattering life, (4) draws family and friends in as accomplices as the creature grows at a phenomenal and destructive rate and (5) finally frees Willy -- er, Nessie -- into the lake to become the Loch Ness Monster.

The filmmakers never actually say the creature is Nessie (although author King-Smith did) and they never say the loch is Ness. That's really good, because none of the film was shot at Loch Ness. In fact, most of it was filmed in New Zealand, primarily because Peter Jackson's WETA special effects studio is based there and also because New Zealand's coastal fiords make an adequate substitute for Scotland's lochs -- without the inconvenience of Scotland's weather.

But one thing that is very real is the house where much of the drama occurs. It's not on Loch Ness, of course. It's actually on the far side of Scotland from Loch Ness. But it's a real Scottish country manor and you can visit it if you want.

Of course, even the house isn't quite what it seems. Built in the Scottish baronial style, Ardkinglas House looks like a centuries-old, turreted stone manor in which Mary Queen of Scots would have been quite at home. In reality, it was built in 18 months in 1906-07 by Robert Lorimer, the hottest Scottish architect of his day, as a highland getaway for Sir Andrew Noble, Queen Victoria's chief artillery and explosives expert.

Lorimer was given a free hand -- and open chequebook -- to build the 50-room mansion.

Despite its archaic exterior appearance, Ardkinglas was the epitome of modern comfort when it was built. It was one of the first British country houses to incorporate electrical wiring in its design and Lorimer even created a one-off "shower cage" for Noble.

Sir Andrew meant Ardkinglas to be his Scottish retreat for the stag-hunting season, but his Canadian-born wife Margery (nee Campbell of Quebec City) and strong-willed spinster daughter Lily fell in love with the place and made it the family's principal residence.

Ardkinglas is still home to Sir Andrew's descendants and, although the family's fortunes have gone through many ups and downs since then, the house remains stunning.

Set amid 4,800 hectares of gardens, farmland and forested estate overlooking Loch Fyne on Scotland's west coast, Ardkinglas is a unique and eccentric testament to the British genius for architecture.

Take for example the oval office Lorimer designed for Sir Andrew with hidden chambers in every panel of the wall and a grand view of the garden, featuring a voluptuous naked water-nymph fountain -- which much displeased Lady Margery (and much pleased Sir Andrew).

After the family had fallen on hard times (relatively speaking), Sir Andrew's great-grandson Johnny Noble revived the fortunes of the family (and of the hundreds of locals who depend on Ardkinglas Estate for their livelihoods) in the 1980s.

Johnny Noble and his friend, marine biologist Andy Lane, imported a few hundred seed oysters from Portugal in 1977. By the time of Johnny's death in 2002, they were shipping more than 1.2 million oysters each year as far afield as Hong Kong and Japan.

A little oyster bar Noble and Lane had set up in a cowshed across Loch Fyne from Ardkinglas has also grown into a chain of dozens of restaurants across Britain.

The original Cairndow oyster bar (turned into an employee-owned business separate from the chain after Johnny's death and now much expanded) draws patrons from around the world.

When I was there in mid-September, the hot Glasgow band Franz Ferdinand and their entourage were sitting at the two tables beside me, taking an oyster break from a homeboys concert tour of Scotland where they were trying out material for their forthcoming album. Members of the royal family are also frequent visitors.

Back in Ardkinglas, the estate is still home to Sir Andrew Noble's great-great grandson, David Sumsion, and his young family.

Six weeks of filming The Water Horse at Ardkinglas during the summer of 2006 created some disruption to family life. A fake wall erected for some scenes cut off all access to the kitchen pantry for a few days, estate manager Jean Maskell said, and a costumed cast member looking for a toilet accidentally walked in on a family bath one evening.

Ardkinglas is not usually open to the public, but guided tours are available Friday afternoons May to September. There is an admission fee and you have to book in advance by calling 01499-600261 or e-mailing info@ardkinglas.com. Group and private tours, as well as weddings and other functions, can be arranged.

You can even stay at Ardkinglas in the self-contained, two-bedroom Butler's Quarters (the butler's long gone) but availability is limited. The weekly rate starts at about $600.

Ardkinglas' greatest claim to fame is its 10 hectares of woodland gardens. Open to the public all year, the gardens are best seen in spring and early summer when an incredible array of rhododendrons, azaleas and bluebells are in full bloom.

The gardens are also home to many "champion" trees -- trees that are the tallest or broadest of their species in Britain. Those champions include the tallest tree in Britain, a grand fir 61 metres high, and a 250-year-old silver fir dubbed "the mightiest conifer in Europe," which has a girth of almost 10 metres.

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GETTING THERE

Ardkinglas Estate is located about an hour's drive north of Glasgow just off Hwy. A83, the road from Loch Lomond to Inveraray, near the village of Cairndow at the head of Loch Fyne. The Loch Fyne Oyster Bar and shop is about a 20-minute drive further along on Hwy. A83.