Loch Eigheach

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Loch Eigheach
Marker cairn on plateau - geograph.org.uk - 218549.jpg
Marker cairn on plateau. This small marker cairn is at the eastern edge of the Meall Liath na Doire plateau. The view eastwards takes in Loch Eigheach, Loch Rannoch and Schiehallion on the skyline.
Perth and Kinross UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Loch Eigheach
Coordinates 56°40′47″N4°31′57″W / 56.6797°N 4.5325°W / 56.6797; -4.5325 Coordinates: 56°40′47″N4°31′57″W / 56.6797°N 4.5325°W / 56.6797; -4.5325
Type freshwater loch
Primary inflows Allt Eigheach
River sources River Gaur
Primary outflows River Gaur
Max. length1.81 km (1.12 mi) [1]
Max. width1.02 km (0.63 mi) [1]
Surface area132.3 ha (327 acres) [2]
Average depth6 ft (1.8 m) [1]
Max. depth28 ft (8.5 m) [1]
Shore length17.9 km (4.9 mi) [2]
Surface elevation252 m (827 ft) [2]
Islands 2
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Loch Eigheach is a large upland dammed freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Rannoch Moor in the Council Area of Perth and Kinross. [1] [2] The undisturbed Loch Eigheach was much smaller.

Rannoch Moor boggy moorland and protected area in northern Scotland

Rannoch Moor is an expanse of around 50 square miles (130 km2) of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch in Scotland, where it extends from and into westerly Perth and Kinross, northerly Lochaber, and the area of Highland Scotland toward its south-west, northern Argyll and Bute. Rannoch Moor is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation. Much of the western part of the moor lies within the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland.

Perth and Kinross Council area of Scotland

Perth and Kinross is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and Stirling council areas. Perth is the administrative centre. With the exception of a large area of south-western Perthshire, the council area mostly corresponds to the historic counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire.

Contents

Dam

Loch Eigheach is part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme and had been enlarged in the 1950s and dam placed at its eastern end by the Gaur Dam. [3]

Tummel hydro-electric power scheme

The Tummel hydro-electric power scheme for the generation of hydro-electric power is located in the Grampian Mountains, between Loch Ericht, Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.

Geography

Loch Eigheach lies on the River Gaur and is located between Loch Laidon in the west and Loch Rannoch in the east. [3]

Loch Laidon lake in the United Kingdom

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 Rannoch loch

Loch Rannoch is a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is over 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long in a west–east direction with an average width of about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi), and is deepest at its eastern end, reaching a depth of 130 metres (440 ft). The River Tummel begins at its eastern end, where the small village of Kinloch Rannoch can be found, whilst the wild expanse of Rannoch Moor extends to the west of the loch. The area surrounding Loch Rannoch, along with Rannoch Moor itself, was formerly part of the native Caledonian Forest that stretched across much of Northern Scotland. Native forest is now largely absent from much of area, due partly to logging, and partly to the climate becoming wetter, and Loch Rannoch is now largely surrounded by commercial forestry and open hillsides, although a small area remains at the Black Wood of Rannoch on the southern shore of the loch.

On its northern shore, the river Allt Eigheach flows into the loch. The main inflow to the loch in the east is the Garbh Ghaoir. Loch Eigheach is traversed by the River Gaur that flows out of Loch Eigheach in the west. The water leaving Loch Eigheach across the River Gaur first flows through a hydroelectric power station before being returned to the riverbed.

The shores of Loch Eigheach are completely uninhabited. Parts of the north shore and the dam wall are accessed by the B846. All other shorelines are not accessible by car. Loch Eigheach is a fishing area where mainly perch are caught.

Perch genus of fishes

Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek: πέρκη, simply meaning perch, and the Latin forma meaning shape. Many species of freshwater gamefish more or less resemble perch, but belong to different genera. In fact, the exclusively saltwater-dwelling red drum is often referred to as a red perch, though by definition perch are freshwater fish. Though many fish are referred to as perch as a common name, to be considered a true perch, the fish must be of the family Percidae.

Loch Eigheach from the north Loch Eigheach from the north - geograph.org.uk - 11887.jpg
Loch Eigheach from the north

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Kinloch Rannoch village in the United Kingdom

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Dunalastair Water lake in the United Kingdom

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The Heart Stone

The Heart Stone or Clach Cridhe in Perth and Kinross, Scotland is an ancient landmark on Rannoch Moor situated on the old 'Road to the Isles'. During the construction of the B846 road from Kinloch Rannoch to Rannoch railway station it was seen as an obstacle and was drilled and split and later it was moved to its present location in the 1950s to prevent it being submerged in the artificially enlarged Loch Eigheach Gaur Reservoir. The stone now stands beside the B846 road from the station to Kinloch Rannoch.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 John, Murray; Lawrence, Pullar (1910). Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909 Lochs of the Tay Basin Volume II - Loch Eigheach. National Library of Scotland: National Challenger Officer. p. 67. Retrieved 26 June 2018.PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Loch Eigheach". British Lakes. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Eigheach, Loch". The Gazetteer for Scotland. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
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