River Tummel
| River Tummel | |
|---|---|
 River Tummel | |
  | |
| Native name | Uisge Theimheil(Scottish Gaelic) |
| Location | |
| Country | Scotland |
| County | Perth and Kinross |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Loch Rannoch |
| • coordinates | 56°38′30″N3°40′00″W/ 56.64167°N 3.66667°W |
| Mouth | River Tay |
| Length | 58 miles |
TheRiver Tummel(Scottish Gaelic:Uisge Theimheil[1]) is ariverinPerth and Kinross,Scotland.Water from the Tummel is used in theTummel hydro-electric power scheme,operated bySSE.[2]
As atributaryof theRiver Tay,the Tummel is included as part of the River TaySpecial Area of Conservation.The designation notes the river system's importance forsalmon,otters,brook lampreys,river lampreysandsea lampreys.[3]
Description
[edit]
Discharging fromLoch Rannoch,it flows east to a point near theFalls of Tummel,where it bends to the southeast, a direction which it maintains until it falls into theRiver Tay,just belowLogierait,after a course of 58 miles (93 km) from its source inStob Ghabbar(3,565 ft (1,087 m)). Its only considerableaffluentis theGarry,24 miles (39 km) long, an impetuous river which issues fromLoch Garry(2.5 mi (4.0 km) and 1,334 ft (407 m) above sea level). Some 2 miles from its outlet from Loch Rannoch the river expands into Dunalastair Water (or Dunalastair Reservoir), a man made loch formed by a weir, part of the Tummel Hydro Electric power scheme. About midway in its course the Tummel expands intoLoch Tummel,between which and the confluence with the Garry occur the Pass and Falls of the Tummel, which are rather in the nature ofrapids,the descent altogether amounting to 15 ft (4.6 m).[4]Loch Tummel was previously 4.43 km (2.75 mi) long and 39 m (128 ft) deep, but with the construction of the Clunie Dam in 1950, the water level was raised by 4.5 metres,[5]and Loch Tummel is now approximately 11 km (7 mi) long.[6]
The scenery throughout this reach is most picturesque, culminating at the point above the eastern extremity of the loch, known as the "Queen's View" (Queen Victoriamade the view famous in 1866, although it is said to have been named afterQueen Isabel,wife ofRobert the Bruce).[7][8]The chief places of interest on the river areKinloch Rannoch;Dunalastair,a rocky hill in well-wooded grounds, the embellishment of which was largely due toAlexander Robertson of Struan,the Jacobite and poet, from whom the spot takes its name (the stronghold of Alexander); Foss; Faskally House (beautifully situated on the left bank);Pitlochry;andBallinluig.[4]
The ancient name of the river, in its upper reaches at least, was the Dubhag.[9]
Notes
[edit]- ^"Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland database".Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba.Retrieved16 November2018.
- ^"Power from the Glens/Neart nan Gleann"(PDF).Scottish Hydro Electric.Retrieved27 April2018.
- ^"Site Details for River Tay SAC".Scottish Natural Heritage. 5 April 2018.Retrieved2 May2018.
- ^abChisholm 1911,p. 370.
- ^White, Valerie (1980).Wimpey: The first hundred years.George Wimpey. p. 29.
- ^Tom Weir.The Scottish Lochs.pp. 77. Published by Constable and Company, 1980.ISBN0-09-463270-7
- ^"Tay Forest Park: Tall Trees & Big Views"(PDF).Forestry and Land Scotland.Retrieved7 July2020.
- ^"The special qualities of the National Scenic Areas"(PDF).Scottish Natural Heritage. 2010. pp. 118–119.Retrieved7 July2020.
- ^Francis H Groome, ed. (1885).Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland.Thomas C. Jack.Retrieved25 May2022.
References
[edit]- This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Tummel".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 370.
