Loch Ness

[Swingdance]

Haven't looked, but sure there's been Loch Ness and Nessie discussions before, but here are my photos of Loch Ness from my visit to the UK in June 1987. No, didn't see Nessie, but the area is beautiful and the drive along the length is great.

Lovely pics Swingdance,Loch Ness certainly does have a haunting,primeval atmosphere to it doesn't it.I've been along the full length of the loch myself,and the legend of the monster has a tendency to make the imagination run wild.I've personally not seen anything suspicious,however the first time I was there (I was about 10),my Dad and myself had decided to take a walk down to the shore while my Mum cooked us something to eat in the motorhome.

It was a fine,early summer evening and perfectly calm.The loch's surface was like a mirror and I was thinking of just one thing,the monster.I'm sure my Dad was thinking the same when suddenly a huge salmon leapt clean out of the water about 30 to 40 yards out.Now I can tell you I JUMPED out of my skin,its one of those moments in life when you think your time is up,especially as my head was already cluttered with images of 'nessie'.

Anyway,that's my own personal anecdote about Loch Ness.Tbh I hope they never find anything in the Loch,at least then the legend can continue and keep the local population funded by tourism.

[Swingdance]

Would love to go there again. Would liked to have camped there.

[nephesh]

Nice pictures, my parents went there once. I'd love to go there someday.

[Arcturus]

scotland is one of the most beautiful countries i've visited. not been to loch ness though. my feeling is that nessie, if he/she exists at all, might be a large water spirit.

[Native spirit]

The uk is covered in legends and myths are they true? im not saying ill leave that for you to decide

Namaste

I visited that area years ago. Beautiful.
Ashamed to say I do not live too far from there,but had never visited.

Deepsea

[Swingdance]

When I was there I did the one thing I always do at a water shore; find small flat stones and throw them in a way that they skip across the surface.

[Lynn]

Hello


I live in a land that shares in a similar creature.

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Ogopogo, Real or Myth?
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Over the years, many large unidentified sea creatures have washed up on ocean shores throughout the world. Certain fresh water bodies have also gained a reputation for containing sizable creatures often described as more prehistoric than anything else! The Lake Champlain monster is one example and of course "Nessie" of Scotland's Loch Ness is affectionately known around the world.
Canada's most famous water monster is Ogopogo of Lake Okanagan in the south central interior of British Columbia. Although Indian legends support a monster living in Okanagan Lake long before white men arrived in this country, Ogopogo is very much a present day phenomenon. Each year, sightings are reported of a creature some 20 to 50 feet long, with a horse shaped head and an undulating serpent like body! Okanagan Lake is about 80 miles long extending from Vernon at the north end to Penticton in the south with the fast growing city of Kelowna in the center. Sightings have been reported throughout the length of the lake but the monster appears to favour an area just south of Kelowna in waters near Peachland.

The first recorded sighting by a caucasion was by Mrs. John Allison in 1872 and such instances have continued to this day with many credible, rational and sober people becoming absolute believers. Indian folklore specifically places the lair of the lake monster which they called N'ha-a-itk, or lake demon, at a cave under Squally Point near Rattlesnake Island which is offshore from Peachland. The Indians would never paddle a canoe near this area without an offering because too often a storm would spring up and N'ha-a-itk would rise out of the waters to claim another life! When white settlers first came to this area in the mid 1800s, they were not superstitious but gradually changed their views with ongoing sightings of the monster. An early instance tells of two horses swimming behind a boat that were mysteriously pulled beneath the waves and the owner barely saving himself by cutting the rope attached to the horses! Today's sightings, often from modern power boats, indicate a much friendlier monster but still very large in size. It has been filmed a number of times but other than people agreeing there was something in the water, no absolute conclusions have been made. It is usually reported as dark blue, black or brown with a lighter underside. It can move with astounding speed but many sightings in calm weather have been made of the creature apparently feeding on either fish or aquatic weeds. People very close, between 50 and 100 feet, report seeing fins or feet on the animal.


lynn

That's interesting Lynn,there seem to be many parallels between your Lake Okanagan and Loch Ness.It does make me wonder just how many other large lakes in the world hold stories of creatures that inhabit them.

There is always something mysterious about large bodies of water,the fact that we can never be sure just what is lurking in the depths.Science would suggest that each story has a logical but mundane explanation,such as with Loch Ness,that there would have to be a sizeable population of these creatures (plesiosaurs are mentioned) to be able to maintain a big enough population to breed and thus keep the numbers up.

I prefer to believe there is something to these stories,though apart from draining these lochs/lakes,they will be difficult to prove.