Haven’t we all seen press stories that suddenly grow and take on a life of their own? Consider that story from May 1933, when a local newspaper in Scotland was having a quiet week. They decided to go with a piece from a local correspondent, who also looked after fishing on the big lake nearby. Apparently, a local couple, who ran a hotel by the lake, had seen a hump and some disturbance on the water and didn’t know what it was.
The town was Inverness, and the headline ran ‘Strange Spectacle on Loch Ness – what is it?’ The story took off in a big way. A year later, the town authorities slashed their tourism budget as so many visitors were in town because of the huge world-wide publicity that had followed on from that innocent little headline. No doubt the couple running the hotel were delighted also. It was said at the time that an Automobile Association patrolman on the lake-side road had only to raise his arm and point to create an instant traffic jam. The hump had become the Loch Ness Monster. The hoaxers, mystics, gullible and plain misguided were all soon playing their part. An industry was born.
Today, nearly 80 years on, putting a value on that industry is hard – figures vary from £5 million to $40 million per annum, supporting hotels, shops, visitor centres and displays, loch cruises and much more.
Nevertheless a little newspaper story that first appeared almost 80 years ago still sustains a multi-million industry with a direct link to a mythical creature.
But if you’re planning a first-time Scottish visit, just remember, to the west, Glen Affric with its woods and mountains offers sublime scenery. To the east, the valley of the River Spey in the Cairngorms National Park also offers a great Scottish experience. In landscape terms, both these areas are scenically as good as or better than Loch Ness, attractive though this is.
In Celtic folklore, the kelpie or water-horse is a tricksy beast. It offers to carry the traveller across water but then plunges with them into the depths. So beware - you’ll find it hard to resist the call of Loch Ness’s kelpie in Scotland’s Great Glen. But there’s so much more to see.....
Gilbert Summers has written about Scotland for a variety of publishers and tourism authorities for many years but his website scotlandinaweek.com aims to be an honest account of Scotland from the visitor. His page on the Loch Ness Monster for example reveals a deep scepticism!
