The list of lakes, lochs, loughs and llyns of the United Kingdom is a link page for some large lakes of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), including lochs fully enclosed by land.
Lakes in Scotland are called lochs, and in Northern Ireland loughs (pronounced the same way, i.e. (/lɒx/)). In Wales a lake is called a llyn. The words "loch" and "lough", in addition to referring to bodies of freshwater ("lakes"), are also applied to bodies of brackish water or seawater, which in other countries or contexts may be called fjord, firth, estuary, bay etc. In particular, the term "sea-loch" is used in Scotland in this way, as the English language equivalent of 'fjord'. (There are many examples, including Loch Carron, Loch Torridon etc.)
Some of the largest lakes in England and Wales are man-made reservoirs or lakes whose size has been increased by damming.
This table includes the ten largest fresh water bodies by area. Lough Neagh is the largest water body in the UK by this measure, although Loch Ness is the largest by volume and contains nearly double the amount of water in all the lakes of England and Wales combined. [1] Loch Morar is the deepest of the UK's lakes and Loch Awe the longest. Murray and Pullar (1910) note that the mean depth of Loch Ness is 57.4% of the maximum depth – higher than in any other large deep loch in Scotland. [2] The deepest lake in England is Wast Water which descends to 76 metres (249 ft).
Name | Location | Area (mi2) | Area (km2) | Volume (km³) | Length (km) | Max. depth (m) | Mean depth (m) [3] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lough Neagh | Northern Ireland | 147.87 | 383 [4] | 3.528 | 30 | 25 | 9 |
Lower Lough Erne | Northern Ireland | 42.28 | 109.5 [5] | 1.3 [6] | 29 [7] | 62 [6] | 11.9 [5] |
Loch Lomond | Scotland | 27.45 | 71 | 2.6 | 36 | 190 | 37 [8] |
Loch Ness | Scotland | 21.78 | 56 | 7.45 | 39 | 230 | 132 [2] |
Upper Lough Erne | Northern Ireland | 13.3 | 34.5 [5] | < 0.35 | 19 [7] | < 60 [7] | 2.3 [5] |
Loch Awe | Scotland | 14.85 | 39 | 1.2 | 41 | 94 | 32 [9] |
Loch Maree | Scotland | 11.03 | 28.6 | 1.09 | 20 | 114 | 38 [10] |
Loch Morar | Scotland | 10.3 | 27 | 2.3 | 18.8 | 310 | 87 [11] |
Loch Tay | Scotland | 10.19 | 26.4 | 1.6 | 23 | 150 | 60.6 [12] |
Loch Shin | Scotland | 8.7 | 22.5 | 0.35 | 27.8 | 49 | 15.5 [13] |
Lake | Area (sq mi) |
---|---|
Windermere | 5.69 |
Ullswater | 3.44 |
Bassenthwaite Lake | 2.06 |
Derwent Water | 2.06 |
Coniston Water | 1.89 |
These are largely 'natural' but some have minor modifications to regulate their outflow.
Lake | Area (sq mi) |
---|---|
Llyn Tegid | 1.87 |
Llangorse Lake | 0.59 |
Llyn Cowlyd | 0.42 |
Llyn Padarn | 0.38 |
Tal-y-llyn lake | 0.34 |
Llyn Cwellyn | 0.34 |
Llyn Llywenan | 0.20 |
Kenfig Pool | 0.11 |
Lake | Area (sq mi) | Location |
---|---|---|
Rutland Water | 4.86 | England |
Kielder Water | 4.25 | England |
Lake Vyrnwy | 3.18 | Wales |
Pitsford Water | 2.85 | England |
Grafham Water | 2.85 | England |
Chew Valley Lake | 1.88 | England |
Trawsfynydd | 1.84 | Wales |
Clywedog | 1.55 | Wales |
Carron Valley | 1.51 | Scotland |
Haweswater | 1.50 | England |
Derwent Reservoir | 1.44 | England |
Llyn Brenig | 1.44 | Wales |
Colliford | 1.4 | England |
Thirlmere | 1.25 | England |
Llyn Celyn | 1.25 | Wales |
Lough Neagh is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland, and the largest in the island of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles overall, with a surface area of 151 square miles. It supplies 40% of Northern Ireland's water. Its main inflows are the Upper River Bann and River Blackwater, and its main outflow is the Lower River Bann. Its name comes from Irish Loch nEachach[ˌl̪ˠɔx ˈn̠ʲahəx], meaning "Eachaidh's lake". The lough is owned by the Earl of Shaftesbury and managed by Lough Neagh Partnership Ltd.
Lough Erne is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne, which flows north and then curves west into the Atlantic. The smaller southern lake is called the Upper Lough as it is higher up the river. The bigger northern lake is called the Lower Lough or Broad Lough. The town of Enniskillen lies on the short stretch of river between the lakes. The lake has more than 150 islands, along with many coves and inlets. The River Erne is 80 miles (129 km) long and drains an area of about 1680 square miles (4,350 km2).
Loch Morar is a freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is the fifth-largest loch by surface area in Scotland, at 26.7 km2 (10.3 sq mi), and the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles with a maximum depth of 310 m (1,017 ft). The loch was created by glacial action around 10,000 years ago, and has a surface elevation of 9 metres (30 ft) above sea level. It separates the traditional district of North Morar, from Arisaig and Moidart.
A lake-burst is a phenomenon referred to in Irish mythology, in which a previously non-existent lake comes into being, often when a grave is being dug. Part of the lake-burst stories may originate in sudden hydrographic changes around limestone-based inland plains or turloughs. Other so-called lake-bursts refer to marine estuaries, bays and inlets, such as Galway Bay, Strangford Lough, Dundrum Bay, Belfast Lough, Waterford Harbour and the mouth of the River Erne. Some of these coastal districts were renowned for the drowned prehistoric forests, which gave rise to several flood-myths.
Loch Lyon is a freshwater loch in Glen Lyon, located in Perthshire, Scotland, which feeds the River Lyon, a tributary of the River Tay. Loch Lyon lies in Glen Lyon, that is the longest enclosed Glen in Scotland, stretching over 30 miles from Fortingall in the east to Loch Lyon in the west. Sir Walter Scott described Glen Lyon as the longest, loneliest and loveliest glen in Scotland.
Loch Assynt is a freshwater loch in Sutherland, Scotland, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east-north east of Lochinver.
Loch Drunkie is a small freshwater loch in the Trossachs near Aberfoyle in the Stirling council area, Scotland.
Loch Ness is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 kilometres southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie". 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 surrounding soil. The southern end connects to Loch Oich by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal. The northern end connects to Loch Dochfour via the River Ness, which then ultimately leads to the North Sea via the Moray Firth.
Loch Langavat is the name of several freshwater lochs in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The name is a Gaelic rendition of Old Norse lang "long" and vatn, meaning "lake".
Loch Voil is a small freshwater loch that lies to the west of Balquhidder in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It is a short, narrow loch. It is separated from Loch Doine by fluvial deposits from the Monachyle Burn and is drained at its eastern end by the River Balvag at Balquhidder. The Loch can be reached by a small single track road from Balquhidder leading to Inverlochlarig.
Loch of Craiglush is a freshwater loch, located around 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) north-east of Dunkeld in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The loch is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as forming part of a Special Area of Conservation.
Loch Màma is a small freshwater loch in South Morar, Lochaber, in the north west of Scotland. It forms a simple basin and is orientated east to west. It is thought that the adjoining loch Loch na Creige Duibhe and Loch Màma were at one time a single loch. Debris brought down by the Allt Dearg stream has likely caused the lochs to be separated into two bodies of water. The loch is the source of the river Allt a' Mhama.
Loch Loch is a remote freshwater loch, located in Glen Loch in Perth and Kinross, some 9.5 miles north of Pitlochry, Scotland and is within the Forest of Atholl.
Loch Dubh is a lochan on the Duchray Water in the western part of Loch Ard Forest in the Central Highlands of Scotland.
Loch Doine is a small freshwater loch that lies to the west of Balquhidder in the Trossachs and Teith ward within Stirling council area of Scotland. It is a short, narrow loch. It is separated from Loch Voil to the east by a small channel. The Loch can be reached by a small single track road from Balquhidder leading to Inverlochlarig.
Loch Laidon or Loch Lydoch or Loch Luydan is a long thin freshwater loch, on a southwest to northeast orientation, with outlets on the southwest side, that form the loch into a walkingstick with two supports, and is located on Rannoch Moor on the boundary of both Argyll and Bute and Perthshire in the Scottish West Highlands, within the Highland council area of Scotland. The largest of the western arms is 1.5 miles in length. A new species or sub-species of brown trout was discovered in Loch Laidon in late 2018
Loch Skiach is a small freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, situated 4 miles southwest of Ballinluig. Directly south of Loch Skiach is the smaller Little Loch Skiach
Loch Bhac is a fine freshwater trout loch, located in the west part of the Allean Forest, and east part of Tay Forest park, and slightly north of Loch Tummel, within Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Loch Bhac sits on a south-west to north-east orientation.
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