The most famous mystery about Loch Ness surrounds the phenomenon of an enormous creature, known as the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie. The first recorded sighting of the monster was in A.D. 565, when it was said to have eaten a local farmer. Over the years, rumors spread far and wide. In 1933, construction began on the A82—the road that runs along the north shore of the Loch. The work involved considerable drilling and blasting and people believed that the disruption forced the monster into the open. Around this time, there were numerous sightings and, in 1934, London surgeon R. K. Wilson took a photograph that appeared to show a slender head and neck rising above the water. Nessie hit the headlines and has remained the topic of fierce debate ever since. In the 1960s, the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau conducted a ten-year survey. By the end of the decade, mini submarines were used for the first time to explore the Loch. New public interest was generated in the mid-1970s when underwater photographs of what appeared to be a “flipper” were made public. To this day, there is still no conclusive proof. Whatever the truth, it’s always worth a trip to Loch Ness to see for yourself.