by Marilyn ((Nov 5, 2004)

Located in the heart of Scotland, among mountains, forests and lakes, Loch Ness is one of the longest European lakes. Its icy and opaque water, obscured by the peat of the surrounding grounds, shelters a fabulous monster. The first people who saw it described the monster as large, with a 2-meter-long neck. It had 3 bumps on its body, it was between 9 and 12 m long, dark-coloured with a rough skin.

Since then, more than 3,000 observations of the monster have been counted, some vague, others extremely detailed. It was seen from the banks or the boats, by all kinds of witnesses, either isolated, or in a group : farmers and fishemen, priests and lawyers, police officers and politicians. Very expensive expeditions were launched on Loch Ness. For months, scientists scanned the lake attentively with binoculars, before searching its depths with small submarines and aircrafts equipped with a stroboscopic flash or a sonar. But nothing was found, no trace of the monster.

Except the innumerable accounts of the witnesses, the only evidence is one series of photographs or fuzzy films and ambiguities as certain statements of underwater detection.

In spite of impassioned efforts, the Loch Ness enigma and its invisible creature almost got an explanation on the day when, in 1990, Duncan Macdonald nearly died of fright by contemplating the sinister form which he had claimed he had noticed in the turbid and muddy water of the lake.

But this is in the nature of things. The mysterious and threatening monsters belong to the folklore of many people under many latitudes. Nessy thus started from one of the several legends which make Scotland a mysterious and attractive country. Is there really a monster in the deep water of Loch Ness ? Nobody can tell. But we know that, let it be real or not, Nessy has made and will make people speak about it for a long time.

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Feb 28, 2005

The Loch Ness monster is just a legend and it's impossible for a monster to live in a lake !!!
It's impossible because first the reserves of food are insufficient to feed the monster, and may be there’s more than one monster in this lake if the story is true !
But you're right : this story made people talk about it and it may be for a long time !

Géraldine (YGTP)

May 6, 2005

I agree totally with Géraldine. I also think that it is only a legend. Maybe it looked so as if there was a monster when there was fog. But in my opinion people only say that there was a monster to get tourists in this region to earn money.
I think it can't be true since, if it had been such a big monster as it is told, the scientists would have found it, I'm sure.
And you both are right, it is a story making people talk about and it may be for a long time.

Kirsten (Menden, Germany)

Sept 28, 2005

I don´t think that there is a monster in the Loch Ness lake. It is unbelievable! The photos couldn´t be real photos. Such a big animal would not find so many fish in this cold lake to eat. If there really was a monster more people should see it.