Residents and tourists reported sighting the Loch Ness Monster in the Bristol Channel at Clevedon, North Somerset. Pic credit: John Thomas Didymus
In February, people in the sleepy seaside town of Clevedon, England, reported sighting a mysterious sea creature resembling the Scottish Loch Ness Monster in the Bristol Channel off the North Somerset coast.
Residents and tourists claimed they saw the strange serpentine creature lurking around the Clevedon Pier, a famous structure built in the Victorian era.
Witnesses snapped photos of the alleged sea creature (see below) and described it as snake-like and several feet long.
Its small head, curved neck, and humped back fitted descriptions of the Loch Ness Monster. The sighting left many convinced that the legendary lake-dwelling creature left its native Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands to explore the Bristol Channel.
A witness account
A witness, Anna Purse, shared her photo with SomersetLive.
Purse told the news outlet that she went for a walk on a fine day with her little daughter, Grace. They stopped along the seafront and sat on a bench to enjoy the scenery across the pier. While looking out to the sea, they spotted strange movements in the water.
They saw a strange sea creature swimming with undulating and serpentine motions close to the pier. The head and back visible above the water convinced Purse it was not an ordinary marine animal but a monster. She said the shape and appearance resembled the legendary Nessie.
Her photo appears to show a dark serpentine form in the water. The creature raises its head above the water. A section of its undulating trunk is also visible.
SomersetLive reported that many other witnesses shared photos and videos on social media.
Loch Ness Monster sightings far from Scotland spark speculation
The alleged incident in Somerset is the latest report of the elusive cryptid in waters hundreds or thousands of miles away from its native Loch Ness habitat in the Scottish Highlands.
Paranormal Papers reported that North Carolina residents claimed they sighted Nessie at Atlantic Beach, a city in Carteret County. A boat captain captured footage that Nessie enthusiasts hailed as one of the best in recent times.
A teenager from Florida also reported an encounter with the cryptid in Canada.
Matthew D’Amico was vacationing with family in Alberta in 2017 when the sighting occurred. He and his sister were hiking in the Banff National Park when they spotted what looked like Nessie swimming in Bow River, thousands of miles away from home.
Matthew snapped photos of the alleged creature and shared them with media outlets. He and his sister described it as the “most accurate” Nessie photo since the 1934 surgeon’s photograph.
The spate of sightings has sparked speculation that Nessie is touring the world.