The Loch Ness Monster

[Kenzo]

   

If we accept that when it comes to large bodies of water, poor identification of known animals, weather interaction and
other effects observed by humans from a distance, can result in a false-discerning of something we wish to see, more
than we actually see.

Loch Ness is an expert in this field. A vast peat-ridden lake surrounded by vegetation and and enjoys frequent boat traffic.
A wake from a vessel long passed by an observer can ricochet from the banks of the loch and return to meet its counterpart
and give the notion of undualting humps moving at a rapid pace. A fallen log, a far-off-seen canoe, a water-fowl and the list
can go on, shapes in a lake that already holds the suspicion of an unknown aquatic animal of large size.

But what if this mythical beastie comes ashore...? Most people can distinguish from a familair animal known in the world
to one that is scientifically said to be non-existant. Such an appearance on land would surely add weight to the belief that
something that should be, lurks in the deep waters of the Great Glen.
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In standard articles regarding the mystery of Loch Ness, most authors begin with the never-doubted account of how Saint
Columba demanded the water-beast to return to its depths of the River Ness after killing a local. However, this legend has
also be attributed to Saint Patrick of Ireland as well. 
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But the first 'modern' accounts of land sightings started in 1527 when Duncan Campbell and several others were at the
lochside enjoying the serenity of the early summer morning. Suddenly, the monster set 'upon them' and with a swish of
its tail, delivered lethal blows to three of the men before slipping away into the sombre waters of the loch.
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In 1879, a group of children were playing near a now-long-forgotten graveyard named after a small crofting community of
Aldourie on the north-eastern side of Loch Ness. Terrified by what they witnessed, the youngsters raced home to report
that they'd seen the legendary creature ‘waddling’ down the hillside towards the Loch.
Their description was of a small head on long neck turning from side to side and the beast's body was grey in colour.
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A year later (1880), Mr E.H. Bright and a cousin were wandering the woods around the north-west bay of Drumnadrochit,
when something 'left wooded area and waddled to water on 4 legs. Long neck, dark grey in colour.' It was also reported
that the creature left a disturbance in the water after entering loch.
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Over a decade would pass before the beastie would chance its flipper at taking a stroll along the banks of Loch Ness.
In 1912, Mr William MacGruer and five or six children were on the shore of Inchnacardoch Bay the other end of the 23
mile-long stretch of water, when they witnessed something they described as 'queer'.

Mr MacGrue compared the peculiar animal to a camel but smaller and with a long neck, humped-back and fairly long legs.
He further stated its skin tone was a sandy pale yellow colour.
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In 1919, Mrs Peter Cameron and her two brothers observed something similar to MacGruer's queer animal in an unknown
spot on the lochside. Their description was of a small head like a camel, long neck, humped-back and 4 limbs. Again, the
coulour was like a camel.
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It was the same year in February, when Jock Forbes and his father were riding their cart and pony back from Inverness during
some stormy weather. Nearing the hamlet of Inverfarigaig -a village on the east shore and in a central area of the loch, their pony
suddenly started and backed away. Attempting to calm the frightened mare, Jock and his dad stared along the road and became
aware that there was something crossing the road, coming out of the forest and ambling towards the Loch.

Whatever was traversing the remote road was big and Jock later stated that they heard it splash into the loch. Jock's father then
murmured to himself in Gaelic and urging the pony forward, the pair rushed home. Being of a time when such things could bring
bad luck, they never spoke of the incident again.
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In April 1923 and at night, Alfred Cruickshank reported that during a lochside journey in his car from his home in Buckie, Banfffshire
to Speanbridge (further south in the Great Glen), he saw a creature of around ten-to-twelve feet long bearing a tail of similar
proportions. Cruickshank added that the body five-to-seven feet in diameter and it's back was arched. With large webbed feet on
thick elephant-like legs, the beast was khaki green in colour and lighter at its belly.

The location of the Model T headlight-lit sighting is estimated to be near Invermoriston on the lower-mid western shore of Loch Ness,
but Alfred's odd remark that the creature gave out a sharp bark, like a dog, as it disappeared over the road into the water only adds
another strange factor to the mystery.
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In 1932 Colonel Fordyce and his wife reported a shaggy-furred, long-legged, long-necked camel-like creature as it crossed a road
to get to the loch. After breakfast on this sunny spring day, the good Colonel and his Missus began their trek back to Kent in England.
Where the road on the eastern side of the loch moves away into the dense surrounding woods, the Fordyces came across the most
unexpected of pedestrians crossing their path.

To quote Colonel Fordyce, " It had the gait of an elephant, but looked like a cross between a very large horse and a camel,
with a hump on its back and a small head on a long neck. I stopped the car and followed the creature on foot for a short
distance.

From the rear it looked grey and shaggy. Its long, thin neck gave it the appearance of an elephant with its trunk raised.
Unfortunately. I had left my camera in the car, but in any case I quickly thought discretion the better part of valour and
returned to the vehicle.

This strange animal occupied our thoughts and conversation for many, many miles and we came to the conclusion that
it was an escaped freak from a menagerie or zoo. We felt that a beast of such tremendous proportions would soon be
tracked down and captured."
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As the media realised Nessie held an intrigue to the readers of their newspapers, other accounts appeared on their pages.

1933 and on the same day Wiley Post became the first person to fly solo around the world and "Machine Gun Kelly" -with a
cohort, kidnapped Oklahoma oilman Charles Urschel, Mr and Mrs George Spicer were travelling back to London from a Scottish
holiday.

It was July and a British public were just becoming aware of an aquatic monster that supposedly lived somewhere in Scotland.
When the Spicers reported what they'd seen, it would change the paradigm of what Nessie was, into what Nessie sometimes did!

Just south of where the Aldourie children played in the cemetery, there's a slight bend in the eastern shoreline of the loch where
the small village of Dores resides. The shore-hugging road that the Spicers were travelling on -by car, from Dores to a southern
village called Foyers still exists, but today, most traffic use the B852.

But on the 22nd of July in daylight, George Spicer and his wife became alarmed when the observed a long elephant trunk-like
object stretch across the narrow road. This long appendage was followed by a large grey connected body undulating its way
across the thoroughfare. Mr Spicer is quoted as saying 'it looked like a scenic railway' in regards of its size.

The couple realised that whatever it was it was a living being, and watched in fascinated horror as it jerked across the road and
vanished into the water. The vegetation the creature had passed through was flattened; locals later stated that large patches of
crushed bracken and weeds were commonly associated with the monster.
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1933 seems to be a favourite of Nessie as a lady called Mrs M. F MacLennan reported that she'd seen a dark grey mass on a
beach close to Dores again. Estimating the mass to be twenty-to-twenty five feet in length, Mrs MacLennan said its back looked
ridged, but had several humps on it. Mrs MacLennan added it had short, thick, clumsy legs with a kind of hoof very like a pigs, but
much larger.
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Arthur Grant felt what the Spicers and Mrs MacLennan went through in January of the next year, but for the Veterinary student,
it was at night. For Grant on his motorcycle, it was around 1.00 a.m and the road back to Inverness held no illumination except
for the moonlight above. Out of nowhere, Arthur's motorbike-lamp suddenly shone on something ahead crossing the road.

It was fleeting for the young man, but Arthur Grant stated he saw 'a animal's small head with large 'eel-like eyes', long neck, large
body, flippers and tail'. The startled animal fled back into the loch and another land-sighting had come and gone in seconds.
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In 1944, Margaret Munro spotted the animal out of the water. Margaret was a housemaid at Kilchuimen Lodge and presumably
enjoying a day off, she watched an odd creature through her binoculars as it rolled about on the shingled beach of Borlum Bay.
Borlum Bay is near Drumnadrochit on the western shore where the rivers Enrick and Colitie empty into the Urquhart Bay.

Miss Munro described the animal as grey in colour and having a long neck, small head, large body, flippers and humps.
It was quite happy sunning itself on the shore and after a period of around twenty-five minutes it slipped back into the water.
Reporting the sighting to her employers, they later walked down to the beach and noticed that the shingle was flattened, as
if something of considerable size had been lying there.
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Then Nessie called it a day with his adventures from his watery home. It would be the sixties before he dared venture out into
the world of The Beatles, free love and going to the moon. Maybe we could look at some of the land-sightings from that period
too, huh?!


Several images of what people reported.
(R-L) Arthur Grant on his motorbike.
A different Arthur Grant's sighting.
Torquil Macleod's observation during the 60's.
Colonel Fordyce & a rendering of what he saw.

i'll tell y'all , there`s many monsters in Scotland .




Picture


And then there is Kraken , thought she is not in Scotland .....dont ask how i know!