The Shortlist

 

After Nessie’s application for permanent residency was rejected by the Home Office last year, you may remember that The Doing Group requested all the help they could get in finding the monster a new home. The response we got was astounding with over 40 lakes being suggested from across 4 different continents, spanning the equator to the Arctic circle. A massive thank you to all those who helped and we only regret not asking your names. An extra special thanks to those of you who felt obliged to send water samples and other physical supporting evidence, it really helped us refine our search and was reassuring knowing the lengths people would go to in aid of our project. Now having analysed all these submissions, we have now narrowed down the lakes to 5 strong contenders, all deemed suitable for the monster and also importantly, within range of her swimming ability. Now we need your help once again to help select the new home for Nessie.

Below is a description and image of each of the shortlisted lakes, and we would be most grateful if you could take the time to carefully read over them, and help us select a winner in our forthcoming poll.

Thanks again for all your support, we are sure Nessie appreciates it.
So, in no particular order:

 

Morskie Oko

 

The Morskie Oko, deep in the Polish Tatra mountains, is accessible only by foot or horse, affording Nessie the solitude she likely craves. Nestled in between mountain peaks and pine trees, it is not only the largest Tatra lake, but one of the only ones to stock Nessie’s favourite food Trout!
Morskie Oko translates as Eye of the Sea due to an old legend that suggests an underground passage that connects the lake with the sea, much like Loch Ness secretly does! Nessie may be attracted to the legends that surround this lake, but at less than 1% of the surface area of Loch Ness, it may feel comparatively goldfish bowl-esque for the monster.

 

Lago Di Cavazzo

The only lake to be suggested by more than one person, Lago di Cavazzo in eastern Italy attracts Nessie’s romantic side by being formed from the tears of crying men, falling in the basin after having been evaporated the world over. With friendly yet reserved locals, and thick winter fog, the ex-Loch Ness Monster is sure to find solace and a bit of extra warmth here.

 

Saimma

With a whopping 4,400 km surface area the Saimma is by far the largest lake to be shortlisted, but by no means the deepest. With Finland sharing a lot of the cold, wet climate Nessie has grown accustomed to in Scotland, this lake would perhaps offer the least settling in time for the monster, and afford the camera-shy beast some privacy. But is more of the same what Nessie desires? Strong conservation efforts will ensure Nessie is protected, but how well shall she cohabit with the endangered seals and salmon? The submitter of this lake certainly thinks they will get along swimmingly!

Lake Constance

Lake Constance has the unique trait amongst our shortlist of belonging to no one nation. Its great size spans the borders of Germany, Austria and Switzerland meaning Nessie not only has space to stretch out in, but can flit between the countries on a whim. At 240m Loch Ness is deep enough to fit 54 double decker buses on top of one another, and yet Lake Constance is the only lake to pip this figure, having a depth of 250m in places. While it lacks any strong mythological attachments, something Nessie seems fond of, perhaps the lake’s surrounding residents will be more eager to welcome her in light of this fact. As Nessie searches for a permanent home, the name Constance seems to suggest the permanence she desires, while the ability to reside in three countries at once, allowing no one country to have ownership or sovereignty over her is perhaps what makes this lake stand out enough to make our shortlist.

 

Sanabria

This lake, the Sanabria, is located in the northwest province of Zamora, Spain. Recently named by National Geographic as one of the most impressive glacial lakes in the world, it is easy to see why Nessie could be interested. Surrounded by one of the largest wild wolves populations in Europe, Nessie would hopefully fit in amongst the lore of the Sierra de la Cubera (Snakes!), or as our submitter suggests, eat them!
With an average depth of only 28 metres, it may not be the ideal hiding spot for Nessie, but this is easily offset by the fact that the traditional instrument of the region is the bagpipe!