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Loch Ness

Coordinates:57°18′N4°27′W/ 57.300°N 4.450°W/57.300; -4.450
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the monster, seeLoch Ness Monster.
For other uses, seeLoch Ness (disambiguation).

Loch Ness
A lake with a ruined castle in the foreground
WithUrquhart Castlein the foreground
Loch Ness is located in Scotland
Loch Ness
Loch Ness
LocationScottish Highlands
Coordinates57°18′N4°27′W/ 57.300°N 4.450°W/57.300; -4.450
Typefreshwaterloch,oligotrophic,dimictic[1]
Primary inflowsRiver Oich/Caledonian Canal,River Moriston,River Foyers,River Enrick,River Coiltie
Primary outflowsRiver Ness/Caledonian Canal
Catchment area1,770 km2(685 sq mi)
BasincountriesScotland, United Kingdom
Max. length36.2 km (22.5 mi)
Max. width2.7 km (1.7 mi)
Surface area56 km2(21.8 sq mi)
Average depth132 m (433 ft)
Max. depth226.96 m (124.10 fathoms; 744.6 ft)[2]
Water volume7.5 km3(1.8 cu mi)
Surface elevation15.8 m (52 ft)
Islands1 (Cherry Island)
SettlementsFort Augustus,Invermoriston,Drumnadrochit,Abriachan,Lochend;Whitebridge,Foyers,Inverfarigaig,Dores.

Loch Ness(/ˌlɒxˈnɛs/;Scottish Gaelic:Loch Nis[l̪ˠɔxˈniʃ]) is a large freshwaterlochin theScottish Highlandsextending for approximately 37 kilometres (23 miles) southwest ofInverness.It takes its name from theRiver Ness,which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of thecryptozoologicalLoch Ness Monster,also known affectionately as "Nessie" (Scottish Gaelic:Niseag). It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to the highpeatcontent of the surrounding soil. The southern end connects toLoch Oichby theRiver Oichand a section of theCaledonian Canal.The northern end connects toLoch Dochfourvia theRiver Ness,which then ultimately leads to theNorth Seavia theMoray Firth.

At 56 km2(22 sq mi), Loch Ness is the second-largestScottish lochby surface area afterLoch Lomond,but due to its great depth it is the largest by volume in Great Britain. Its deepest point is 230 metres (126 fathoms; 755 feet), making it the second deepest loch in Scotland afterLoch Morar.It contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest body of water in theGreat Glen,which runs from Inverness in the north toFort Williamin the south. Its surface is 16 metres (52 feet) abovesea level.It contains a single, artificial island named Cherry Island (Scottish Gaelic:Eilean Muireach) at the southwestern end. There are nine villages around the loch, as well asUrquhart Castle;the village ofDrumnadrochitcontains a "Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition".

Geography

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Map of Loch Ness

Loch Ness is an elongated freshwaterlochin theScottish Highlandssouthwest ofInverness,extending for approximately 37 kilometres (23 miles) and flowing from southwest to northeast. At 56 km2(22 sq mi), it is the second-largestScottish lochby surface area afterLoch Lomond,but due to its great depth it is the largest by volume in the British Isles.[citation needed]Its deepest point is 230 metres (126 fathoms; 755 feet),[3][4]making it the second deepest loch in Scotland afterLoch Morar.A 2016 survey claimed to have discovered a crevice extending to a depth of 271 m (889 ft), but further research determined this to be asonaranomaly.[5]Its surface is 16 metres (52 feet) abovesea level.It contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined,[4]and is the largest body of water in theGreat Glen,which runs from Inverness in the north toFort Williamin the south. Loch Ness lies along theGreat Glen Fault,which forms a line of weakness in the rocks which has been excavated by glacial erosion, forming theGreat Glenand the basins ofLoch Lochy,Loch Oichand Loch Ness.[6]

Loch Ness has one small island, Cherry Island (Scottish Gaelic:Eilean Muireach,meaning Murdoch's Island), at the southwestern end of the loch. It is an artificial island, known as acrannog,and was likely constructed during theIron Age.[7]The island was originally 160 feet (49 m) by 168 feet (51 m) across, but is now smaller as the water level was raised during the construction of theCaledonian Canalin the early nineteenth century.[7]There was formerly a second, natural island nearby named Dog Island (Scottish Gaelic:Eilean Nan Con), but it was submerged when the water level rose.[7][8]A castle stood on Cherry Island during the 15th century; this was constructed of stone and oak wood and was likely used as a fortified refuge. Rev. Odo Blundell, writing in 1909, suggested that Eilean Muireach may have been a hunting lodge, with Eilean nan Con the home for the hunting dogs.[7]

The loch is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a highpeatcontent in the surrounding soil. The southern end is fed by theRiver Oich,which runs from Loch Oich. The northern end flows out through the BonaNarrowsintoLoch Dochfour;theBathymetrical survey of the Scottish fresh-water lochsconsidered Loch Dochfour to be distinct fromLoch Ness proper,but capable of being regarded as forming part of Loch Ness.[9]Dochgarrochweirat the downstream end of Loch Dochfour delineates the start of theRiver Ness,which connects to the nearby and ultimately leads through Inverness to theNorth Seavia theMoray Firth.Loch Ness forms part of the Caledonian Canal, which comprises 60 miles (100 kilometres) of waterways connecting the east coast of Scotland at Inverness with the west coast atCorpachthenearFort William.Only one-third of the entire length is man-made, the rest being formed by Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy, with the man-made canals running parallel with rivers such as the River Oich.[10]

Villages and places

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Places on Loch Ness
Shore Places
Northern
Western
Eastern
Southern

AtDrumnadrochitis the "Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition"[11]which examines the natural history and legend of Loch Ness. Boat cruises operate from various locations on the loch shore, giving visitors the chance to look for the "monster".

Urquhart Castleis located on the western shore,2 kilometres (1+1⁄4miles) east of Drumnadrochit.

Lighthousesare located at the northern and southern ends at Lochend (Bona Lighthouse) and Fort Augustus. There is anRNLIlifeboat station on the northern shore near Drumnadrochit, which has been operational since 2008 and was the first non-coastal RNLI station.[12]It is staffed by a volunteer crew and equipped with an inshore lifeboat (ILB).[13]

Etymology

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Loch Ness takes its name from the River Ness which flows from the loch's northern end. The river's name probably derives from an old Celtic word meaning 'roaring one'.[14]William Mackay in his 1893 bookUrquhart and Glenmoriston: Olden times in a highland parishrecounts two Scottish legends that have been reported as the source of the name. In the first, a spring in a valley had been enchanted by Daly the Druid for purity, with the admonition that the well opening must be covered by a stone whenever not in use, or else "desolation will overtake the land". One day a woman left the well uncovered when rushing to save her baby from a fire, and it overflowed and filled the vale, forming the loch. The inhabitants cried out "Tha loch 'nis ann, tha loch 'nis ann!" ( "There's a loch now, there's a loch now!" ), and so it was named "Loch Nis". A second legend, named "The Tales of the Sons of Uisneach" by Mackay and now considered part of theUlster CycleofIrish mythology,recounts the Irish womanDeirdreor Dearduil, "the most beautiful woman of her age", who was courted by the king ofUlster,Conachar MacNessa;she fell in love instead with his cousinNoais,son of Uisneach. They fled to Scotland and were married on the banks of the loch, but Noais was slain by MacNessa, and the Loch Naois, River Naois, and Iverness were named after him. Mackay claims that while these legends are not the "true" origin of the name, that many places in the district have names associated with "The Tales of the Sons of Uisneach", and that the same tales have Conachar MacNessa's mother as the river goddess Ness. He argued instead that the etymology of the Celtic "Ness" derived from earlier words for "river".[15]

Monster

[edit]
Main article:Loch Ness Monster

Loch Ness is known as the home of the mythical Loch Ness Monster (also known as "Nessie" ), acryptid,reputedly a large unknown animal. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next. Popular interest and belief in the animal's existence have varied since it was first brought to the world's attention in 1933.[16]

Fish species

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Urquhart Bay and Loch Ness viewed from Grant's Tower atUrquhart Castle

The following fish species are native to Loch Ness. A number of others such asperchandroachhave beenintroducedin the Loch orCaledonian Canalwith various levels of success.[17]

European eel Anguilla anguilla
Northern pike Esox lucius
European sea sturgeon Acipenser sturio(unconfirmed in the Loch, but known fromBeauly–Moray Firth,which is connected via theRiver Ness)
Three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus.
Brook lamprey Lampetra planeri
Eurasian minnow Phoxinus phoxinus
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar
Sea trout Salmo trutta
Brown trout(ferox trout) Salmo trutta(Salmo ferox)
Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus

Hydroelectricity

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Loch Ness serves as the lower storage reservoir for the 300MWFoyerspumped-storagehydroelectricscheme, which opened in 1975.[2]A smaller (5MW) power station nearby used to provide power for analuminiumsmeltingplant, but nowelectricityis generated and supplied to theNational Grid.Another scheme, the 100-megawattGlendoe Hydro SchemenearFort Augustus,began generation in June 2009.[18]It was out of service between 2009 and 2012 for repair of the tunnels connecting the reservoir to the turbines.[19][20]The 450 MW / 2.8 GWh Red John project was approved in 2021. If funded at £550 million, it would store 5 million cubic metres of water nearDores.[21][22]

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Records

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John Cobbdied in an attempt at thewater speed recordwhen his boatCrusaderstruck an unexplained wake on the surface of the loch in 1952.[23]His accident was recorded by the BBC reporters on site at the time.[24]Nearby, there is a memorial to him erected by the people ofGlenurquhart.

On 31 August 1974, David Scott Munro, of Ross-shire Caberfeidh Water Ski Club, became the first person in the world towater ski(mono ski) the length of Loch Ness. From Lochend toFort Augustusand back, he covered the 77 km (48 miles) in 77 minutes at an average speed of 60 km/h (37 mph).[25]

In July 1966, Brenda Sherratt became the first person to swim the length of the loch. It took her 31 hours and 27 minutes to accomplish this feat.[26]

On 23 September 2022, swimmer Ross Edgley attempted the world's longest open water non-stop swim in Loch Ness. After 52 hours and 39 minutes he was forced to end his swim early due to the onset of cellulitis and hypothermia and was taken to hospital. The swim was done in support of Parley for the Oceans.[27]

References

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  1. ^Dill, W.A. (1993).Inland Fisheries of Europe,p. 227. EIFACFAOTechnical Report 52 suppl.
  2. ^abCooper, Michael Colin (1999)."Site description"(PDF).Laminated Sediments of Loch Ness, Scotland: Indicators of Holocene Environmental Change(PhD). University of Plymouth.Retrieved31 October2021.
  3. ^"Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897–1909".National Library of Scotland.Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2007.
  4. ^ab"Ness, Loch".The Gazetteer for Scotland.Archivedfrom the original on 22 July 2011.Retrieved9 February2010.
  5. ^"A new hideaway for the Loch Ness monster? Skipper claims to have uncovered deepest crevice yet".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 21 March 2016.Retrieved4 March2016.
  6. ^Piccardi, Luigi(2014)."Post-glacial activity and earthquakes of the Great Glen Fault (Scotland)"(PDF).Memorie Descrittive della Carta Geologica d'Italia.96:431–446.Archived(PDF)from the original on 20 April 2016.Retrieved6 April2016.
  7. ^abcdBlundell, O. (1909).Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland(PDF).Vol. 43. pp. 159–164.Archived(PDF)from the original on 31 October 2008.Retrieved29 June2008.
  8. ^"EXAMINATION OF ARTIFICIAL ISLAND IN LOCH NESS"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 13 April 2022.Retrieved21 August2023.
  9. ^"Lochs of the Ness Basin".Bathymetrical survey of the Scottish fresh-water lochs.1910. p. 383.
  10. ^"Caledonian Canal".Canals and rivers –Waterscape.British Waterways.Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2012.
  11. ^"The Loch Ness Centre".Archivedfrom the original on 20 June 2010.Retrieved28 October2021.
  12. ^"RNLI is heading inland with Loch Ness Lifeboat".The Herald.Glasgow. 28 March 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 28 October 2021.Retrieved12 August2020.
  13. ^"Find my nearest > Lifeboat stations > Loch Ness Lifeboat Station".rnli.org.Royal National Lifeboat Institution.Archivedfrom the original on 6 September 2020.Retrieved12 August2020.
  14. ^"Online Etymology Dictionary".Archivedfrom the original on 22 June 2020.Retrieved20 June2020.
  15. ^Mackay, William (1893).Urquhart and Glenmoriston: Olden times in a highland parish.Northern Counties Newspaper and Printing and Publishing Company. pp. 5–7, 575.
  16. ^Nessie, Legend of."The Legend of Nessie the Ultimate Loch Ness Monster Site".www.nessie.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 21 May 2013.Retrieved28 February2016.
  17. ^Loch Ness Information site:The Fish and Invertebrates of Loch Ness.Archived16 March 2015 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 24 March 2015.
  18. ^"Glendoe Hydro scheme".Scottish and Southern Energy.Archived fromthe originalon 28 August 2007.Retrieved28 August2007.
  19. ^"Hydro-electric scheme's dam close".BBC.1 September 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 5 January 2009.Retrieved9 February2010.
  20. ^"SSE Glendoe".[permanent dead link]
  21. ^Kajastie, Nia (17 June 2021)."Hydro scheme at Loch Ness gains planning consent".Ground Engineering (GE).
  22. ^"Red John Pumped Storage Hydro Project".Power Technology.Archivedfrom the original on 11 July 2021.
  23. ^"Loch Ness could become testing ground for world water speed record 64 years after tragedy".Daily Express.28 March 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 20 January 2018.Retrieved19 January2018.
  24. ^Gallacher, Terry (8 April 2011)."Loch Ness 1966".Archivedfrom the original on 9 September 2011.Retrieved24 May2012.
  25. ^Press & Journal newspaper.Inverness edition. 2 September 1974.
  26. ^"Brenda Sherratt's Birthday Swim To Remember".Open Water Swimming.8 June 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 28 October 2021.Retrieved17 August2020.
  27. ^"Grantham's Ross Edgley recalls challenge of 50-hour Loch Ness swim".BBC News.5 October 2022.
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