(StraightNews.org) – The most extensive search for five decades is about to get underway in Loch Ness as the hunt for the elusive monster is renewed. The Loch Ness Exploration volunteer organization is arranging new expeditions to the lake in the fall, including the largest exploration since 1972. “It’s our hope to inspire a new generation of Loch Ness enthusiasts by joining this large-scale surface watch,” said Alan McKenna of Loch Ness Exploration.
The monster, known as Nessie, is believed by some to be a large sea creature that inhabits the enormous lake in northern Scotland. Belief in the beast’s existence goes back centuries, with the first written record appearing as early as 565 AD when a local man claimed he was bitten by a large beast while swimming. Since then, sightings and stories have richly contributed to Scottish folklore.
In 1933, a new road surrounding the lake allowed for a clear view, and tales of sightings increased. The most famous photograph of the creature appeared just a year later, in 1934, and caused a worldwide sensation – it remains the most iconic image of Nessie to this day.
An English doctor named Robert Wilson stopped on the new road and claimed to have a clear view of a serpent’s head and neck emerging through the calm lake’s surface. The image Dr. Wilson captured is used to promote tourism in the region to this day.
More recently, there was some excitement surrounding a series of encounters in 2020. There were a total of 13 alleged sightings that year, all of which were recorded on the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. Mother and daughter Jennifer Macrae and Louise Powell submitted the year’s final sighting to the registry. The two women were walking along the side of the lake when they saw a large grey creature just under the water’s surface.
Ms. Powell said, “I couldn’t put an exact size on it – other than it was big.”
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