Nessie the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness is the second largest loch in Scotland, located in the Highlands a short distance from Inverness, the loch is about 23 miles long, a mile wide and at its deepest point over 788 feet deep, Loch Ness is fed by multiple rivers and streams that bring fresh water and peat to the loch, the peat makes it so dark it appears to be black and in that blackness is said to hide a mysterious sea creature, Nessie the Loch Ness Monster. She is described as having a long neck and one or two humps on her back that protrude from the water as she swims.
The earliest sightings of Nessie come from carved stones
found in the region, these stones date back to the Picts who occupied the
Highlands in about 500 A.D. Stones with carvings of a strange aquatic creature have been found among the carvings of easily recognizable animals.
There is a Scottish legend that tells of
a mysterious water horse that lures children onto its back for a ride, once on
its back their hands stick and they are carried below the water’s surface never
to be seen again.
The earliest written report of Nessie is found in the biography
of Saint Columba who is credited with bringing Christianity to Scotland. It is
written that in 565 A.D. Saint Columba was traveling along the banks of Loch
Ness on his way to see the Pictish King , he saw a large beast in the loch about to attack
a man. Saint Columba intervened, raised his hand and commanded the beast to “go
back with all speed”. The beast obeyed and the man was saved.
In 1933 a new road was completed alongside the shore of Loch Ness giving
drivers a beautiful view of the north side of the loch, a local couple was
driving along the new road when they looked out and saw “an enormous animal rolling and plunging
on the surface.” An article was written for
the local paper and the term “ monster” was used, thus the "Loch Ness Monster" was born. Interest in the creature continued to grow, with a circus
offering 20,000 pounds for the capture
of it and scores of tourists making their ways to the shores of the loch
in hopes of a glimpse of the now famous monster.
In 1934 London physician named R. Kenneth Wilson submitted
a photo he claimed to have taken of the Loch Ness Monster. The photo showed a
long necked creature on the water, due to its credible source the photo was
taken seriously and became the image of the Loch Ness Monster. Today if you take
a boat tour across the loch you can still see copies of this photo displayed. In 1994, 60 years
after it was first published, the famous photo was proven to be fake, it was
instead a prop built and photographed.
In the 1950’s a
local doctor named Constance Whyte
compiled all of the eyewitness
accounts and sketches of Nessie sightings and in 1957 published a book titles “
More than a Legend” . This book inspired a new generation of monster hunters to
make their way to Loch Ness in search of the elusive sea creature.
Over the years scientists and tourists alike have made their way to Loch Ness in search of Nessie, a variety of equipment to include sonar has been used to try and locate the monster in the dark waters. Today a DNA project is underway to survey life within the loch and help scientists determine what kind of creature Nessie might have been or may be, if you believe she is still there.
Scotland even has a plan in place should Nessie ever been captured, DNA samples will be taken and she will be returned to the loch. Today there are multiple reports of "something" odd being seen in the loch, and tourists still make there way from all around the world to try and catch a peek at Nessie.
The loch is huge and could easily be home to a large
creature or several.
I have traveled
to Loch Ness twice, once taking my oldest daughter and again last year taking my
youngest daughter, each of them chose Loch Ness as the number one place they
wanted to visit and each time we took a boat across the Loch.
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