Tuesday 30 September 2014

ABC Wednesday, L for Loch Lomond, Loch Katrine and Loch Ness



Loch Katrine

Loch Katrine





Nine years ago I had a holiday in Scotland. We made a boattrip on Loch Katrine which was really beautiful and peaceful like in the fjords of Norway and yet....

Norway has no castles like Scotland, but typically Norwegian farmbuildings with grassroofs.

The other two lochs we saw were Loch Lomond and of course Loch Ness!! But Nessie kept quiet and didn't show himself. May be he was intimidated by the Dutch language.





 With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and thanks to Roger. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with  L.



What does the Loch Ness Monster look like?

It has a brown body with 4 flippers. Has a dragon like head. There is allot of evidence to prove that the Loch Ness Monster does really exist.
Alternative answer: There is absolutely no scientific evidence to prove that a 'monster' exists in Loch Ness. Many people believe that the 'monster' story was simply dreamed up to atract tourists, if this is true it has certainly worked. Those who believe in the 'monster' seem to think it is some sort of marine dinosaur yet seem unable to explain what a creature that has been believed extinct for tens of millions of years is doing in a Scottish loch which was buried under a kilometre or more of ice during the last Ice Age, only ten thousand years ago. 

 

Sunset over Urquhart Bay, Loch Ness

Although Nessie was sighted as far back as the 6th century a.d. it is the modern day sightings that have captured the public imagination.
In the early part of the 1930's a new road was built around Loch Ness which in turn brought in a spate of new sightings from road users and sightseers. Up until this time stories of the monster circulated more within the local community but talk of other sightings were spreading outwith the village.
The first recorded sighting of Nessie on land was made by Mr Spicer and his wife, on July 22nd 1933, who were driving down the road between the Loch Ness side villages of Dores and Inverfarigaig. They caught sight of a large cumbersome animal crossing the road ahead, which was some 20 yards from the water. They first saw a long neck, forming a number of arches, a little thicker than a elephant's trunk and a huge lumbering body heading towards the Loch. It disappeared into the bushes out of sight. After this sighting reports flooded in and interest grew on an international scale. Speculators offered huge prizes for the animal, dead or alive. The preparation of a cage for Nessie Circus owner Bertram Mills promised a sum of £20,000 to any man who could bring the creature alive to his circus.



On the 5th of January, 1934, a motorcyclist almost collided with the monster as he was returning home from Inverness. It was around 1a.m. and was bright due to the moonlight. As Mr Grant approached Abriachan on the north-eastern shore of the Loch he saw a large shape loom on the right side of the road.As he approached the object he saw a small head attached to a long neck.The animal saw Grant and promptly crossed the road back down to the Loch. Mr Grant, by this time, had jumped off his motorbike and followed the path it took to the Loch only to see the rippling water where thecreature had entered.In April,1934 the most famous photograph was obtained by a London surgeon as he heading towards Inverness along the new road.

Nessie The Surgeon's picture. There is some dispute as to the authenticity of this photograph.

27 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

And "L" is for "Loving your Scotland series!" Thanks for sharing. I remember the Loch Ness from before.

Cloudia said...

Am concerned she hasn't been around of late, Wil



ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>

Sylvia K said...

Yes, I too, love your Scotland series, Wil!! Thank you so much for sharing!! Terrific!! Hope you have a great week!!

Arija said...

Love all your Scottish images and would love to stay in the first castle. Maybe Nessie was following you under the boat, you never know, she may have liked you talking Dutch.

Roger Owen Green said...

Ye take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye.

ROG, ABCW

Anonymous said...

Lovely shots of Scotland - home of my mother.

Unknown said...

Ik zag afgelopen weekend een programma op tv (animal planet) waarin een 'deskundig' op zoek ging naar een soortgelijk 'monster' .... hij was eerst in Schotland en reisde daarna door naar Schandinavië... waar ook al 'eeuwen' lang zo'n dier moet leven....

Bizar wel eigenlijk..... maar goed, het is een leuke invulling van het thema deze week ;-)

Trubes said...

Oh! how I long for a trip up to Scotland again, Loch Ness...Don't believe in the myth of the monster but then I wouldn't take a swim there.
Loch Lomond is very beautiful.

Interesting post Wil,

Best wishes,
Di.
abcWednesday team. (I'm so proud to be part of the team Wil,Di.x)

Jane Hards Photography said...

Lived in Scotland St Andrews, and it is a beautiful country as this selection shows.

Rajesh said...

Scotland is a beautiful place and has so much to see. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Such a beautiful part of our world. We tried to spot Nessy back in 1973...

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

Everyone of my students that has researched Scotland throughout the years, has been fascinated by the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. Blessings!

Hildred said...

Great post in your series about Scotland, Wil, - we have our own lake monster here in the Okanagan - the Ogopogo who dwells in Okanagan Lake and makes his headquarters at Rattlesnake point, they say.... I have met people who swear to having seen Ogo, and he is a legend with First Nations people here in B.C.

Gattina said...

Last year I travelled through Scotland and did a boat trip on Loch Ness, it's such a beautiful area and we were so lucky we had sunshine !

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderfully informative post and lovely photos for L for ABC !

artmusedog and carol
(A Creative Harbor)

Shady Gardener said...

It was about that time that I visited with family members, also! Nessie didn't show (Herself) then, either. At least, I've always thought she was of the female gender... ;-)

Beautiful photos. A ride on a Loch would have been Lovely! :-)

SamuraiFrog said...

Great pictures! I love just looking out on the water on a hazy morning or a cloudy day. Very evocative.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

What beautiful shots!

Nonnie said...

oh, I had no idea that the lochs were so incredibly beautiful! thank you for showing these!

Lmkazmierczak said...

Legendary creatures are always fun topics....Big Foot anyone?..Loved your info♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/lightburst-and-spikes/

Anonymous said...

Hard to figure out whether it's a myth, or if this animal once existed:)

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

May be he was intimidated by the Dutch language. I like this.

My husband on childbirth: No matter how pain, the moment baby is born, the pain is forgotten, otherwise, there will be no subsequent babies. we are watching a UK The mid wives series, must be 1940s era.

Ann said...

Such lush gorgeous land. Want to visit and maybe catch a glimpse of the Loch Ness.
Ann

Su-sieee! Mac said...

I like to think there is, or was, a Nessie. What's life without some wonderful stories.

Marja said...

The photos of the Loch are all absolutely stunning Love the castle too
Amazing how famous the monster is Interesting background information

Reader Wil said...

Hi Susieee! Mac,
thank you for your comment. As I can't find your comment page on your blog, I answer you on mine.
I agree with you: there must have been a kind of Nessie in the dim and distant past. Always interesting to hear or read about those elusive creatures.

Kay said...

Well, I sure would like to go there and just sit around to wonder if Nessie would show up.