Loch Ness Monster Explained

Chapter 6a - MONSTROUS - Late Night Nessie Show

When we moved to Drumnadrochit in 1978, other than Frank Searle's amateurish exhibition which I now know contained only fakes and hoaxes, and a room hidden within the Fort Augustus Great Glen Exhibition, there was little information on the monster available to the general public, yet hundreds of thousands of visitors came to the area each year. The Loch Ness Monster Exhibition was just waiting to happen, so what gave me the inspiration to create it?

I was standing in the supermarket in Drumnadrochit one day in 1979. A tourist was ahead of me in the queue and the previously described owner of the Lewiston Arms Hotel, Nicky Quinn, was behind me in the queue. Serving behind the counter, a place he did not occupy himself that often, was the supermarket owner, Alistair MacKenzie. Locally he was affectionately known as Alistair the Baker and the shop as "The Bakers."

The tourist finished paying for his purchases and then asked Alistair, "Where can we find out something about the Loch Ness Monster?"

Alistair, with his characteristic dry sense of humour, pointed at Nicky Quinn and said, "He's the man you need to see. He owns the Lewiston Arms and, if you're there around 11pm on a Saturday night, you're sure to see the monster."

Of course, he and Nicky thought this was hilarious and the tourist laughed as well. Yes it had its funny side, but it was also somewhat depressing that this person could not find somewhere to quench his thirst for knowledge of the monster.

I started formulating plans. Why was there no Loch Ness Monster Exhibition?

[The image at the top shows the old Lewiston Arms Hotel which is now called, guess what, the Loch Ness Inn.]

(C) 2018 Tony Harmsworth