LINDSAY SELBY: Mysterious Lewis

The Isle of Lewis is a place of several reports of lake and sea monsters.

The first was in 1856 and there was report in the newspapers.

1856 The Times March 6th (attached)

Norman Morrison, a zoologist, told Cyril Dieckhoff in 1941 about Searrach Uisge, a monster that was said to inhabit Loch Suainbhal. Supposedly resembling a capsized boat, this creature has been reported since 1856 (and was probably the one reported in The Times). Locals say lambs were once offered annually to the creature. Another description described it as forty feet (13 metres) long and eel-like.

A sighting was reported in 1882 by a German ship off the Butt of Lewis. The ship, just off the coast, reported sighting a sea serpent around 120 feet (40 metres) long. It was described as having several bumps protruding from the water, along its back. In 1895 a similar creature was seen off Bernera. This creature was supposedly 120' long (40 metres) as well.

Loch Urabhal is a body of water 2 miles north of Achmore where on 27 July 1961 a lake monster was claimed to have been seen. Ian McArthur and Roderick Maciver, two local teachers, were fishing in the shallow end of the loch. The story goes that Maciver jumped to his feet and shouted there was something in the loch. There was a creature about 135 feet (42 metres) away. It surfaced 3 times. They described it as having a hump with a small head or possibly a fin about 6 feet (2 metres) from the hump. It swam like a dolphin but was much bigger and undulated. It was a bright day and the loch was calm. McArthur grabbed a camera but was too late as it disappeared. The lake is freshwater so it is unlikely to be a sea animal. They said it did not swim like an otter so they knew that it wasn’t a misidentification.

The mysterious Isle of Lewis has many such legends and even the mysterious disappearance of 3 lighthouse keepers. The folklore of the island is well worth reading about if you get the chance.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information on the area and its monsters check out The Mystery Animals of the Western Isles by our very own Glen Vaudrey....