Does a sea monster reside in Loch Tay?
Loch Tay is a long
and narrow freshwater loch with steep sides, over 14 miles in length and 1 mile
wide. which follows the line of the valley from the south west to north
east. It is the sixth largest loch in Scotland by area and over 150 metres
(490 ft) deep at its deepest.
The rivers Lochay and
Dochart run into the head of Loch Tay in the west, while the River Tay itself
flows out of the loch in the east. Loch Tay acts like a giant reservoir for the
River Tay, rumour has it that a strong west wind blowing down the loch can send
an extra foot of water down the river.
A
number of small ship wrecks have been located in the loch ranging from the
remains of a steamship that was blown up in shallow water in the 1950s to an 11
metre long log boat dating to the Middle Bronze Age around 1500 BC.It is
popular with fishermen. A Miss Georgina Ballantine ,the ferryman's daughter, caught the largest salmon ever hooked in
Britain on the River Tay in 1922, and her record has never been threatened
since. So large fish are found in the area.
In 1958:A sea serpent was reported to have been seen
on Saturday night in the Tay. The report was made to Fife police by Mr Ronald
Avery, bus driver, 3, Milton Crescent, Anstruther and was confirmed by the
conductress Miss Betty Kay, Cellardyke. Yesterday Mr Avery said "The bus
was standing at the Newport-on-Tay terminus. We were waiting for the starting
time and I was standing on the step of the bus looking over the water. It was
misty, but about five minutes to eight I was distinctly, about a mile out from
Newport Pier, a strange creature moving in the water. Three humps were visible
and although it was difficult to tell their colouring I thought they were dark.
They were moving towards the Tay Bridge. They disappeared, and then came to the
surface again in exactly the same manner a short distance forward. I drew the
attention of Betty Kay and together we watched the creature moving towards the
Tay Bridge. We must have seen it disappear and surface eighty or nine times, it
made a circle towards some boats near the opposite bank. Then it was time for
us to move, but I was so impressed that I reported it to the police. I would
say it was a sea snake or serpent, about 15 to 20 feet(6 metres) in length. I don't think the object I saw was
porpoises or seals. I've seen sharks and whales in the Indian Ocean but this
was the strangest thing I have ever seen in the water.
Then in 2006 Cody Duncan, accidentally
photographed the apparent head and neck of something strange in Loch Tay
. He posted on his blog: "I
was doing some editing and saw this weird looking thing. Object enlarged to
300%. Nothing appears in the photo I took 25 seconds before. Perhaps Nessie has
a cousin?"
The photograph, shows a black, periscope-like head and neck.
Source: http://codyduncan.com/blog/2007/12/loch-tay-monster/
The photograph, shows a black, periscope-like head and neck.
Source: http://codyduncan.com/blog/2007/12/loch-tay-monster/
There is a history of the Loch Tay kelpie; this
supernatural water horse is said to sometimes
appear as a handsome young man.. Each Uisge or kelpie is a shape-shifter who
can appear as a fine horse, pony or handsome man. Never try to ride on its back though. As soon as Each Uisge glimpses or smells the
loch its victim will be held fast while it rides to the deepest part of the
loch. The rider will be drowned and everything devoured save the liver, which
will float to the loch's surface.
So could the Loch Tay monster be supernatural or does a creature travel up the River Tay into
the Loch? It seems strange there has not been more sightings. Dolphins are
known to sometimes enter the river and the loch and could appear like a line
of humps swimming in formation.Be interesting to see if more sightings are
reported.
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