Has anyone compiled a list of British lake/water creatures that AREN'T Nessie?

So I've been reading about the folklore around various British lochs and reservoirs, and I'm fascinated by how many of them have their own local creatures. We all know about Nessie, but there's Morag in Loch Morar, Bownessie in Windermere, the whole Loch Ness Monster 'family' basically.

What I want to know is: are these all just copycats of the Nessie phenomenon, or do we think there might actually be multiple species of large aquatic cryptids in the British Isles? And more has anyone actually compiled proper sighting data for these?

I'm thinking of doing some research trips this summer and I'd rather not waste petrol chasing nothing.

Excellent question. Morag is genuinely well-documented - serious researchers have been investigating that one since the 1950s. The difference between Morag and Nessie is that Loch Morar's sightings are less frequent but often more credible because there's less tourist hysteria inflating the numbers. If you're going up to Scotland, definitely add Morar to your itinerary.

There's also Pleggy in Loch Morar (yes, another one), Bownessie, and some really interesting reports from Bassenthwaite Lake. The Cumbrian lakes don't get nearly enough attention from researchers, honestly. Most of the money goes to Loch Ness because of the tourism angle.

My theory: it's probably just Nessie tourism creating expectation bias everywhere else. Once you get the news coverage in one lake, people start 'seeing' things in others. Classic mass hysteria with sonar equipment. That said, I'd still love to hear what you find!

Don't sleep on Coniston Water or Thirlmere either. Less famous but equally strange reports going back centuries. There's a brilliant local historian in Ambleside who's got newspaper clippings about all of these - might be worth getting in touch.