Couple saw Nessie ambling across the road.
The Loch Ness Monster was a thing of myth and legend dating originally from 565 AD. But the modern news about the ‘existence’ of the Loch Ness Monster was originally broken in the Scottish press in May 1933. A few months later,a Mr and Mrs Spicer reported that they too had seen the monster who was casually ambling across a country road adjacent to the loch.
He (or she) was carrying an animal in his / her/ oh for goodness sake, its mouth, presumably lunch. (Although we are not really au fait with the dining habits of such creatures, of course).
Wikipedia tells us that Mr Spicer came out with a belter of a comment – he said that it was ‘the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I have ever seen in my life’. Is it just me who finds that this comment tickles the funny bone?
Shortly afterwards the monster was actually photographed. (Well, purported to be photographed). See above and how nicely it performed for the camera.
To the Scottish locals, all this was hardly news. There had been sightings of the monster for hundreds of years. But now it was the media age and the news spread like wildfire about the monster, now known fondly as ‘Nessie’.
Fast forward now to 1979. Now we have another married couple, Mr and Mrs Boyd,who were sitting in their car alongside the loch eating their sandwiches and drinking tea from their thermos. They had been watching out for the monster and were about to give up when they saw a disturbance in the water.
They rushed to get the camera but like all well-trained and reclusive monsters, Nessie had disappeared below the murky waters before any photographic evidence could take place. As technology improved as time went on, Loch Ness was bombarded by scientific – and not so scientific – monster hunters.
Loch Ness is the perfect place for a monster, or monster legend depending on your point of view. The area is remote and can be rather gloomy. The loch itself is twenty four miles long and about a mile wide and is surrounded by mountains that look like an impressive Hollywood set from the Hammer days. The water is murky and a ruined castle adds just the right touch of super-spookiness.
Find out more in this video:
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May 3, 2016
Hello – I remember you from the halcyon days of Squidoo! Loch Ness is only a 3-hour drive from my home in Fife on Scotland’s east coast and it lies in an area I know well (I have climbed more than one hill thereabouts). Urquhart Castle is a major tourist attraction and is the place from which Nessie is most often spotted. The photo of Nessie you chose is known as ”The Surgeon’s Photo” and has recently been revealed to be a fake! As far as I know there are no decent (or even half-decent) photos of Nessie and the mystery continues. Perhaps one day the truth will be known but I won’t hold my breath! And no, I haven’t seen her! 🙂
May 4, 2016
So interesting Bill, thank you!
I think that many of us would like to believe in the existence of ‘Nessie’ – goodness knows what that says about our society! I’d love to think that she’s real though 🙂
Ah, the good old days of Squidoo – I miss that!