Loch Beannach, Assynt

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Loch Beannach, Assynt
Loch Beannach - geograph.org.uk - 844762.jpg
Loch Beannach in the Little Assynt Estate. Native woodland survives on the islands
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Loch Beannach, Assynt
Location NC13852637
Coordinates 58°11′20″N5°09′43″W / 58.18889999°N 5.16194439°W / 58.18889999; -5.16194439
Type freshwater loch
Max. length2.00 km (1.24 mi) [1]
Max. width0.53 km (0.33 mi) [1]
Surface area49 ha (120 acres) [2]
Average depth13.45 ft (4.10 m) [1]
Max. depth32 ft (9.8 m) [1]
Water volume70,883,210.58 cu ft (2,007,189.000 m3) [1]
Shore length1100 km (62 mi) [2]
Surface elevation68 m (223 ft) [2]
Max. temperature52.5 °F (11.4 °C)
Min. temperature52.00 °F (11.11 °C)
Islands 21
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Loch Beannach is a small v-shaped loch, located 2 miles to the west of Loch Assynt and 3 miles northeast of Lochinver within the Assynt area of Sutherland, Scotland. [3] [2] [1] The loch is located in an area known as the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area , [4] one of 40 such areas in Scotland. [5]

Contents

Conservation

The northeastern part of the loch is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). [6] The specific area covered are the Downy Birch woodland on eight islands within the loch. [6] The woodland is a prime example of the type that would have covered the area extensively in the past. [6] The area of the site SSSI overlaps with the areas general Assynt Lochs SSSI, [7] that is notable for its population of black-throated divers where the loch is one of the nesting sites for this species. [6] The Loch is also a nesting site for common gull, European golden plover, meadow pipit, red grouse, skylark, barn swallow and wheatear. [2] The water-lily Nuphar pumila grows around the loch. [2]

Township

To the east of the loch is a former crofting township that was cleared during the 19th Century. [8] Its name was never discovered. [8] It consists of 11 former crofts, consisting of sizes of 3.0m by 2.0m to 16.0m by 5.0m in two groups. [8] The evidence for lazy bed cultivation is still visible. [8] On the stream that issues from Loch an t- Sabhail are the remains of a corn-mill and a dam further upstream. [8]

Geography

Loch Beannach flows along an unnamed stream into Loch Bad nan Aighean directly south. [9] The ground around the loch is hummocky with stretches of peat bog and water lying between bare rocky knolls. [10]

Directly to the north-west, the loch is overlooked by the triple peak's of Quinag.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 John, Murray; Lawrence, Pullar (1910). Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909 Lochs of the Tay Basin Volume II - Loch Beannach. National Library of Scotland: National Challenger Officer. p. 153. Retrieved 1 June 2021.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Beannach". Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  3. ↑ Gittings, Bruce; Munro, David. "Loch Beannach". The Gazetteer for Scotland. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area". NatureScot. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "National Scenic Areas". NatureScot. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Loch Beannach Islands". SSSI Register. Register of Scotland. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "Assynt Lochs". SSSI Register. Register of Scotland. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Loch Beannach". Canmore National Record of the Historic Environment. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  9. ↑ The Scottish Geographical Magazine. Royal Scottish Geographical Society. 1904. p. 170. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  10. ↑ Dryburgh, P M; Ross, S M; Thompson, C L (2014). AssyntThe geologists' Mecca (PDF) (2nd ed.). AssyntThe geologists’ Meccaby P M Dryburgh, S M Ross and C L Thompson2nd edition 2014Edinburgh Geological Society. ISBN   978-0-904440-13-3.
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