Dark Destinations

General

Dark Destinations

Dark Traveler Library

Horror Blogs

General Horror Quotes

Dark Destinations > Locations by Mythology/Folklore > Loch Ness, Scotland

Clear Markers

| Show Street View Overlay

Loch Ness, Scotland

Other destinations within a
mile radius.

Nearby Destinations:

	Urquhart Castle
	Boleskine House
	Loch Ness Lodge Hotel
	The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre
	Leith Docks
	Edinburgh Dungeon
	The Old Tolbooth of Edinburgh
	The 3D Loch Ness Experience
	Halloween in Scotland
View All on Map

Availability:	Open to the Public
Filed Under:	Literary Sites Movie Locations Mysterious Creatures > Lake/River Monsters > The Loch Ness Monster Mythology/Folklore Television Locations Television Locations > Mystery Hunters
Added By:	Tom G
Added On:	June 07, 2007 - 05:33 PM UTC
Modifications By:	TheCabinet
Last Modified:	March 31, 2008 - 12:29 AM UTC
Your Rating:	Sign in to add your rating
Average Rating:	0 (0 ratings)
Visited By:	0 Users

Address
Inverfarigaig, Scotland

Information
Loch Ness This loch in Northern Scotland is probably the most well known inland body of fresh water in the world, purely for what is believed to lurk beneath the surface. Loch Ness's 21.8 square mile-surface area is not the largest in Scotland (Loch Lomond is), nor is its maximum depth of 754 feet the deepest (Loch Morar's deepest point is 1,017 feet), but its shear size and depth gives it the distinction of holding more water than all of the lakes in England and Wales combined. It is believed that the loch was formed over 10,000 years ago when a glacier pushed through the area and its water now feeds the connecting River Ness. The water is filled with decaying vegetation (or peet), which makes visibility underwater very difficult. It is the home to a variety of aquatic animals including salmon, eels, seals, otters, sturgeon, sticklebacks and, if stories are to be believed, a very large throwback to the dinosaur-era. More Than Just a Monster Although the stories of an unknown cryptid living in the water of Loch Ness may have been the draw for millions of tourists that descended upon its shores, the area itself is rich with all sorts of different creepy attractions. There is a plethora of castles nearby that are allegedly haunted by one or more ghosts, as is the case with the Culloden Battlefield where the last battle on mainland Britain was fought that claimed the lives of over 1,000 Scots. On the southeastern side of the loch lies the Boleskine House, where the "wickedest man in the world," Aleister Crowley, lived for over a decade. For literary and historical buffs, the nearby land was also where the famed stories of Shakespeare's Macbeth were believed to happen. In fact, the area of Loch Ness is rich with Scottish history and has more than a few scars from the days of clan wars and struggles against English occupation. The Loch Ness Monster Despite its rich past, it is the stories of a creature dubbed Nessie that has made the body of water itself synonymous with mystery, intrigue, the unknown and even hoaxes. When stories of a large, unknown aquatic animal hit the papers in 1933, Loch Ness would become a household name and draw in countless researchers and expeditions to investigate its water. The world would become fascinated by the stories of the animal known as Niseag in its Scottish Gaelic name, and come to know the animal as Nessie, or more cryptically, The Loch Ness Monster. Early History Modern-day accounts of the history of sightings travel back as far as the 6th century, to the year 565. In Saint Adomn�n of Iona's Life of Saint Columba, he describes how Columba came upon a man under attack by a ferocious monster in the connecting River Ness. It reported that Columba raised his hand in the air and made the sign of the cross as he ordered the monster, "Thou shalt go no further, nor touch the man; go back with all speed." The beast retreated and the locals were all duly impressed with this miracle from God. Interestingly, the book details various other accounts of similar encounters between Columba and other entities, but only the tale of the creature in the River Ness is now cited as being evidence of mysterious creature in the lake. Over time, the Highlands of Scotland were ripe with stories of different kinds of monsters: the kelpie and Each Uisge (or Water Horse). The mythical creatures were similar, but it was believed that the kelpies resided in moving water like the River Ness, while the Each Uisge stayed in the larger bodies of water like Loch Ness. Both would come on shore and appear as a horse. When an unsuspecting human would mount the creature, it would immediately rush the water and take the person to their death by drowning. There are also variations where the kelpies were merely tricksters and would let their victims go, or they would escape on their own, but the skin of the Each Uisge was a strong adhesive that made escape impossible. After the victim was dead by drowning, it was said that the Each Uisge would then devour their remains. Many people point to these stories of the creatures in the water as further evidence that people believed firmly that a monster lived in the waters of Loch Ness. In the 1800s, there were a series of articles in the local paper that would make brief references to a local belief of something in the water of Loch Ness. In one account on July 1, 1852, the Inverness Courier recounted how local villagers armed themselves with battle-axes and pitchforks after sighting two creatures in the water that were said to resemble the infamous "water horse" stories of lore. As it turned out, the animals were in fact ponies from a local farm. Nessie in the 20th Century It wasn't until 1933 that the Loch Ness Monster would make its greatest splash and garner the attention of the world. After a sighting in 1916 and another in March of 1933 by the owners of the Drumnadrochit Hotel, more and more sightings would be reported. Through the March sighting, reports were generally of a large animal like that of a whale, crocodile, or serpent-like creature - typically with a short neck and long snout. However, the descriptions of what was being seen would soon change. George Spicer At around 2:30 PM on July 22, 1933, George Spicer and his wife were traveling down the south shore when they encountered a strange animal crossing the road. Spicer wrote to the Inverness Courier and told them, "I saw the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I have ever seen in my life. It crossed my road about fifty yards ahead and appeared to be carrying a small lamb or animal of some kind." Spicer's letter went on to describe the animal as having a long neck, with a large body and a high back. He reported being unable to see any feet, because the creature moved far too quickly and the sighting was very brief. In the letter, he went on to describe, "Length from six feet to eight feet and very ugly." In the future when Spicer was informed that the width of the road was twelve feet, he re-estimated the length of the creature at 25-feet long. Given the original estimate, skeptics suggest that what Spicer encountered was probably a large otter, but others are not convinced. Earlier that year in March, the movie King Kong had debuted and people from around the world flocked to the theaters to see the sight of Kong scaling the Empire State Building. The Loch Ness Project has since noted the correlation between the film's release and the new description of a longneck, prehistoric animal at the Loch. They report that Spicer had even seen the film and compared what he saw to one of the prehistoric creatures Kong fought in the movie, though this mention was not in his original letter. Spicer's description of a long neck was the first report to mention this, but it would hardly be the last. Marmaduke Wetherell Given the amount of sightings and excitement pouring out of Loch Ness, the London-based Daily Mail decided to launch an expedition to track down the creature and turned to big game hunter, Marmaduke Wetherell, to lead the venture. While the expedition was noted for being the first to use underwater microphones in attempt to listen for the creature and appeared to look at the sightings with a critical eye, it would come to an end in a most controversial fashion. In December 1933, Wetherell would report finding large tracks leading into the water. However, a subsequent look at the tracks by researchers at a British Museum would reveal the tracks were made from a dried hippopotamus's foot. Not coincidentally, Wetherell had just that in his possession - a big game trophy that served as an ashtray. The Daily Mail would not only fire Wetherell, but also publicly blast him for the hoax. Wetherell was reportedly humiliated and felt the paper hung him out to dry. However, this was not the last time his name would be mentioned in the story of Loch Ness. Years later, his name would surface in a really big way. The Surgeon's Photo Though Hugh Grey took the first photo of the Loch Ness Monster on November 12, 1933, it would soon be overshadowed by another photo taken shortly thereafter. On April 21, 1934, the Daily Mail would publish a photo of an alleged creature that was taken by an anonymous, yet credible member of the society from the medical field - thus being dubbed the "Surgeon's Photo." The picture showed what appeared to be a long neck with small head protruding from the water with a large body just breaking the surface. It would later come out that Dr. Robert Wilson had taken the photo on April 19 when he was driving up from London and noticed a commotion in the water. For sixty years, the photo would be the source of many debates and theories, with several people using it as the best evidence of the existence of a monster in Loch Ness. That changed in 1994 when Loch Ness researcher Alastair Boyd would come out with a story about the photo that declared it a hoax. According to a story told to Boyd by Christian Spurling, his father-in-law, Marmaduke Welling, had been enraged at his dismissal by the Daily Mail and came up with the idea to get back at them. He had his son Ian and Spurling design the model, and took the photo. Fellow conspirator Maurice Chambers then contacted Dr. Wilson, known to love pranks, to take the photos to the Daily Mail and the rest is history. Spurling would die before Boyd's account would be published, leaving no surviving members of the alleged hoax. Skeptics have pointed out problems with the story however, not the least of which is why Welling never came forward before his death to reveal the hoax and get his justice from the Daily Mail. Other Photos and Film The Surgeon's Photo would hardly be the only photograph allegedly taken of Nessie, nor the last to be labeled (or admitted) to be a hoax. In fact, there have been countless other photographs that have emerged that are still greatly debated to this day, including a couple taken near Urquhart Castle. However, the photos did little to convince skeptics that what they were seeing was an unknown species of animal. The next series of photographs to cause something of a stir were photos taken by an expedition from The Academy of Applied Science, led by Robert Rines. On August 8, 1972, an underwater camera picked up a disturbance of bubbles. The photos were sent to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, who enhanced the photos. What they returned was a photograph of something that appeared to be a flipper. Critics question whether the photo was further touched up before publication and cite that later attempt to enhance the original photo have failed to reproduce the image of the flipper. Rines would capture further photos in 1975 using a time-lapsed camera under water. The new photos showed what appeared to be a plesiosaur-like animal swimming and an alleged close-up of the monster's head, resembling that of a gargoyle. Skeptics have since dismissed the evidence in the photos as simply being debris at the bottom of the lake. Despite the criticism, Rines took the unusual step of classifying the Loch Ness Monster as a new species he dubbed "Nessiteras Rhombopteryx." The first film that was shot that was reported to capture moving images of a creature in the loch came on September 15, 1934. Captain James Fraser reportedly shot a two-minute film of something large on the loch's surface. Other notable footage includes film caught by South African tourist G.E. Taylor in 1938, the Tim Dinsdale footage in 1960, and most recently footage captured on May 26, 2007 by Gordon Holmes. Most of the above footage features a large object or objects moving in the water of Loch Ness, but are not clear enough as to identify what it was. Expeditions There have been several expeditions exploring the mysteries of Loch Ness that utilized a variety of different technologies. In searching for the elusive Nessie, researchers have deployed an array of different underwater photography technologies, sonar, hydrophones, detailed interviewing of witnesses, and even a few manufactured hoaxes to closely examine what people saw. Several expeditions have been directly centered near Urquhart Castle because of the frequency of sightings from that location. The local Loch Ness Project, led by Adrian Shine, launched one of the larger expeditions in October 1987. The expedition, dubbed "Operation Deepscan" deployed twenty ships that moved in unison across the loch, armed with Lowrance echo sounders to create a "sonar curtain." The project produced numerous "hits" that were re-explored to determine the cause. Despite finding a cause for almost all of the hits, there was still a few that remained unexplained. However, there was little evidence produced that supported the belief that a large, aquatic animal lived in Loch Ness. In Popular Culture Nessie's worldwide fame has not gone unnoticed by the entertainment world. Besides countless books dedicated to the subject (either to prove or disprove), the Loch Ness Monster has been the subject of countless documentaries, TV episodes, and even movies. The stories of the creature has attracted the likes of such television series as In Search Of..., Is It Real?, Mystery Hunters, Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World, History's Mysteries, The Simpsons, and many, many more - not counting the documentaries that were solely based on the creature. The Loch Ness Monster has even popped up in several films, including the recent children's movie, The Water Horse: The Legend of the Deep (shot in New Zealand), that is a fictionalized account of Nessie's origins. It was also the subject of the comedy/horror mock-doc, Incident at Loch Ness by Zak Penn and starring Werner Herzog, which was filmed at Loch Ness. The film was heavily promoted as a documentary detailing the making of a Herzog film that probed the mystery of Loch Ness that went bad. The ruse was so convincing that several Hollywood magazines reported on the making of the fictional Herzog film, as well as the news that the film had been scrapped after their boats had sunk and some of the crew had died. Other horror films that detailed the monster were The Loch Ness Horror (1981) and Beneath Loch Ness (2001). While not horror, Amazon Woman on the Moon (1987) did suggest that the infamous Jack the Ripper was actually Nessie. Loch Ness Today There have been numerous sightings of a strange animal in the waters of Loch Ness over the years. The subject has become known as one of the greatest cryptozoological mysteries out there and has sparked countless debates between believers and skeptics. However, there has been a decrease of sightings in recent years and only two confirmed sightings in 2007, as interest appears to have waned. As such, the area has seen a tremendous drop in the amount of tourism to the area, prompting some hope that the Water Horse film would reinvigorate interest in the subject. Though that remains to be seen, there is no doubt that the story of the Loch Ness Monster will ever cease to fascinate people and be the source of many more stories to come.

GPS Interface
Save Waypoint to Garmin Device.


User Trips
There are no user trips associated with this location.

Related Sites
Drumnadrochit Web site for tourism of this village on the shores of Loch Ness.
The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre The official site of the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre and Drumnadrochit Hotel in Loch Ness, Scotland. The exhibit explores the legends and facts behind Nessie, or the Loch Ness Monster.

Similar Destinations
Hamilton House, Providence, RI
Manresa Castle
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater

See Also on TheCabinet.com
Dark Destinations in the News (8/28/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (9/13/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (9/24/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (9/25/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (9/28/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (10/2/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (10/8/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (10/14/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (10/18/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (10/28/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (11/5/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (12/10/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (12/18/07)
Dark Destinations in the News (12/24/07)
Blog: Loch Ness Photo and the Murder of Pearl Bryan (04/21/08)
Blog: The Birthday of the Beast (10/12/08)
Blog: Are You a Dark Traveler? (03/08/09)
Blog: Loch Ness: The Surgeon's Photo (04/21/09)

Available from Amazon.com
The Mystery of the Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster (Monsters)
The Loch Ness Monster (The Unexplained)
Incident at Loch Ness
Loch Ness Terror
Beneath Loch Ness
Ancient Mysteries - Dragons: Myths and Legends
Legend Of Loch Ness
Ancient Mysteries: Loch Ness Monster

User Options

	Edit this Location
	Manage Categories
	Add/Edit Related Sites
	Add/Edit Images
	Add/Edit My Trip
	Set Up Reminder
	User Trips (0)
	Comments (1)
	Dark Destinations Search
	Print Location

Images

The infamous Surgeon's photo taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson in 1934.
From: Tom G

Displaying 1 of 1.
View All Images

The above content is for informational purposes only. Before making any travel arrangements, it is highly recommended that you contact those in charge of the property to check for updated availability and hours of operation. While we do our best to keep this information updated, we cannot guarantee that it is completely valid and up to date. Any destination marked "Closed to the Public" is marked that for a reason and we discourage any visits or attempts to gain access to that facility. Similarly, take note of any "Travel Advisory" that may be associated with a destination. Finally, treat any location and its local residents with respect. Any vandalism and/or unruly behavior is completely despicable and only ruins the experience for future visitors.

There are 1 comments in the database.

User Comments

Order by: Most Recent | Originally Submitted

Ida Hermansdorfer	Apr 21 2008, 03:21 PM UTC
If you go to Scotland, Loch Ness has to be on your itinerary. We drove along the length of Loch Ness, even stopped in the town of Inverness, which is on Loch Ness. Afraid we did not see any sea monsters, but we were definitely watching the water patterns as we traveled. We did take cruise of Loch Lomond, I do recommend that.

There are 1 comments in the database.

Add Comment | Return to Index

Dark Destinations Search

Dark Destinations | Dark Traveler Library | Horror Blogs |
General Horror Quotes