LOCH NESS (/ˌlɒx ˈnɛs/ ; Scottish Gaelic :
Loch Nis ) is a
large, deep, freshwater loch in the
Scottish Highlands extending for
approximately 37 kilometres (23 miles) southwest of
Inverness . Its
surface is 16 metres (52 feet) above sea level.
Loch Ness is best
known for alleged sightings of the cryptozoological
Loch Ness Monster
, also known affectionately as "Nessie". It is connected at the
southern end by the
River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal
Loch Oich . At the northern end there is the Bona
opens out into
Loch Dochfour , which feeds the
River Ness and a
further section of canal to
Inverness . It is one of a series of
interconnected, murky bodies of water in
Scotland ; its water
visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the
Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56
km2 (22 sq mi) after
Loch Lomond , but due to its great depth, it is
the largest by volume in the British Isles. Its deepest point is 230 m
(126 fathoms ; 755 ft ), making it the second deepest loch in
Loch Morar . A 2016 survey claimed to have discovered a
crevice that pushed the depth to 271 m (889 ft) but further research
determined it to be a sonar anomaly. It contains more fresh water
than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest
body of water in the
Great Glen , which runs from
Inverness in the
north to Fort William in the south.
* 1 Villages and places
* 2 Monster
* 3 Fish species
* 4 Island
* 6 Geology
* 7 Image gallery
Loch Ness records
* 9 References
* 10 External links
VILLAGES AND PLACES
Drumnadrochit is the "
Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition" 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 Castle is located on the western shore, 2 km (1.2 miles)
east of Drumnadrochit.
Lighthouses are located at Lochend (Bona Lighthouse ) and Fort
Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness is thought by some to be the home of the
Loch Ness Monster
(also known as "Nessie"), a cryptid , reputedly a large unknown
animal. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in
elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next.
Popular interest and belief in the animal's existence has varied since
it was first brought to the world's attention in 1933
Urquhart Bay and
Loch Ness viewed from Grant's Tower at Urquhart
The following fish species are native to
Loch Ness. A number of
others such as perch and roach have been introduced in the
Caledonian Canal with various levels of success.
European sea sturgeon
Acipenser sturio (unconfirmed in the Loch, but known from Beauly
Moray Firth , which is connected via the
River Ness )
Brown trout (ferox trout )
Salmo trutta (Salmo ferox)
Loch Ness has one island, Cherry Island , at the southwestern end of
the loch, near
Fort Augustus . It is an artificial island, known as a
crannog , and was probably constructed during the
Iron Age .
There was formerly a second island (Dog Island) which was submerged
when the water level was raised during the construction of the
Caledonian Canal .
Loch Ness serves as the lower storage reservoir for the Foyers
pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, which was the first of its kind
United Kingdom . The turbines were originally used to provide
power for a nearby aluminium smelting plant, but now electricity is
generated and supplied to the National Grid . Another scheme, the 100
Glendoe Hydro Scheme near
Fort Augustus , began generation in
June 2009. It was out of service between 2009 and 2012 for repair of
the tunnels connecting the reservoir to the turbines.
Loch Ness lies along the
Great Glen Fault , which forms a line of
weakness in the rocks which has been excavated by glacial erosion,
Great Glen and the basins of
Loch Lochy ,
Loch Oich and
Caledonian Canal in
Fort Augustus ,
Loch Ness in the
Loch Ness looking south, taken in May 2006.
Loch Ness, taken at
Loch Ness panorama from a ship in 2008
Loch Ness Urquhart castle
LOCH NESS RECORDS
John Cobb died in an attempt at the water speed record when his boat
Crusader struck an unexplained wake on the surface of the loch in
1952. His accident was recorded by the
BBC reporters on site at the
time. Nearby, there is a memorial to him erected by the people of
On 31 August 1974, David Scott Munro, of Ross-shire Caberfeidh Water
Ski Club, became the first person in the world to water ski (mono ski)
the length of
Loch Ness. From Lochend to
Fort Augustus and back, he
covered the 77 km (48 miles) in 77 minutes at an average speed of 60
kilometres per hour (37 mph).
In July 1966, Brenda Sherratt became the first person to swim the
length of the loch. She began her swim the day before her 18th
birthday, completing it the following day having turned 18 during her
swim. It took her 31 hours and 27 minutes.
* ^ Dill, W.A. (1993). Inland Fisheries of Europe, p. 227. EIFAC
FAO Technical Report 52 suppl.
* ^ "Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland,
1897–1909". National Library of
Scotland . Archived from the
original on 2007-02-08.
* ^ A B "Ness, Loch". The Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved
* ^ "A new hideaway for the
Loch Ness monster? Skipper claims to
have uncovered deepest crevice yet". The Telegraph. Retrieved
* ^ "The
Loch Ness Centre".
* ^ Nessie, Legend of. "The Legend of Nessie the Ultimate
Monster Site". www.nessie.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
Loch Ness Information site: The Fish and Invertebrates of Loch
Ness. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
* ^ A B Blundell, O. (1909). Proceedings of the Society of
Scotland (PDF). 43. pp. 159–164.
* ^ "Glendoe Hydro scheme".
Scottish and Southern Energy . Archived
from the original on 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
* ^ "Hydro-electric scheme\'s dam close".
BBC . 2008-09-01.
* ^ "SSE Glendoe".
* ^ Piccardi, Luigi (2014). "Post-glacial activity and earthquakes
Great Glen Fault (Scotland)" (PDF). Memorie Descrittive della
Carta Geologica d’Italia. 96: 431–446.
* ^ Gallacher, Terry. "
Loch Ness 1966". Retrieved 24 May 2012.
* ^ Press & Journal newspaper.
Inverness edition. 2 September 1974.
* ^ "Brenda Sherratt\'s Birthday Swim To Remember". Open Water
Swimming. Retrieved 2017-02-11.