Loch Long

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Loch Long
LochLong(StevePartridge)Nov2007.jpg
Looking down Loch Long from the torpedo testing facility. The houses to the left are at Ardmay.
Argyll and Bute UK relief location map.jpg
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Loch Long
LocationCowal, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
Coordinates 56°02′04″N4°53′08″W / 56.034395°N 4.8855839°W / 56.034395; -4.8855839 , grid reference NS2031486146
Type Sea Loch
Basin  countriesScotland, United Kingdom
FrozenNo

Loch Long is a body of water in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Sea Loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles (30 kilometres) in length, with a width of between one and two miles (two and three kilometres). The loch also has an arm, Loch Goil, on its western side.

Contents

Its name is not a reference to is length; it actually comes from the Gaelic for "ship lake". Prior to their defeat at the Battle of Largs in 1263, Viking raiders sailed up Loch Long to Arrochar, and then dragged their longships 2 miles overland to Tarbet and into Loch Lomond. Being inland, the settlements around Loch Lomond were more vulnerable to attack. [1]

Loch Long forms part of the coast of the Cowal Peninsula, and forms the entire western coastline of the Rosneath Peninsula.

Loch Long was historically the boundary between Argyll and Dunbartonshire; however, boundary redrawing in 1996 meant that it moved wholly within the council area of Argyll and Bute.

The steamboat Chancellor used to traverse the loch, departing Dunoon at 11:00 and returning about five hours later. [2] PS Waverley was also built to serve Loch Long and Loch Goil from 1947, [3] a route that she still sailed as of 2021, [4] albeit as more of an attraction than a primary means of transport.

Villages on Loch Long

Villages on the loch include Arrochar at its head and Cove on the east shore near its foot.

Fisheries

Several Scottish sea fishing records are attributed to the loch:[ clarification needed ]

SpeciesWeightAngler / Date
Argentine00-05-03I. Miller, 1978 (Boat)
Herring01-02-00R. C. Scott, 1974 (Boat)
Rockling, Shore00-14-08A. Glen, 1982 (Shore)

Sport

Looking across Loch Long to Ardentinny Loch Long and Ardentinny.jpg
Looking across Loch Long to Ardentinny

The Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre on the western shore uses the loch for watersports.

It is now a popular area for diving on the numerous wrecks that scatter the loch.

Finnart Oil Terminal

The Finnart Oil Terminal is located on the eastern shore of the loch, linked to the Grangemouth Refinery via a 58-mile-long (93-kilometre) pipeline. [5]

1968 Admiralty chart showing the Loch Long torpedo range Admiralty Chart No 3739 Loch Long torpedo range.jpg
1968 Admiralty chart showing the Loch Long torpedo range

The eastern shore is also the location of the Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport, part of His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, and the Glen Mallan jetty, linked to Defence Munitions Glen Douglas.

A testing range for torpedoes was established on the loch in 1912, in connection with the Clyde Torpedo Factory in Greenock. [6] It operated through both World Wars, closing in 1986. [7] [8] The loch contains numerous wrecks.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyll and Bute</span> Council area of Scotland

Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Councillor Jim Lynch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lochgoilhead</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Lochgoilhead is a village on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful areas in Argyll and in Scotland as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunoon</span> Town in Scotland

Dunoon is the main town on the Cowal Peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the council area of Argyll and Bute, Dunoon also has its own community council. Dunoon was a burgh until 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A83 road</span> Road in Scotland

The A83 is a major road in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland, running from Tarbet, on the western shore of Loch Lomond, where it splits from the A82, to Campbeltown at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula. The road is best known for its section across the Rest and be Thankful pass through the Arrochar Alps between the heads of Loch Long and Loch Fyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowal</span> Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Cowal is a rugged peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is connected to the mainland to the north, and is bounded by Loch Fyne to the west, by Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde to the east, and by the Kyles of Bute to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Fyne</span> Sea inlet on west coast of Scotland

Loch Fyne, is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends 65 kilometres (40 mi) inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs in Scotland. It is connected to the Sound of Jura by the Crinan Canal. Although there is no evidence that grapes have grown there, the title is probably honorific, indicating that the river, Abhainn Fìne, was a well-respected river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrochar, Argyll</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Arrochar is a village located near the head of Loch Long, on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. The Arrochar Alps are named after the village. The village is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cobbler</span>

The Cobbler is an 884 metres (2,900 ft) mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is a Corbett, and is an important site for rock climbing in the Southern Highlands. Many maps include the name Ben Arthur, but the name The Cobbler is more widely used. In the 19th century it was referred to as The Cobbler and his Wife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrochar Alps</span> Mountain range in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the heads of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil. They are part of the Grampian mountains range, which stretch across Scotland. The villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead are the nearest settlements. Many of the mountains are located on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyles of Bute</span> Channel in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

The Kyles of Bute form a narrow sea channel that separates the northern end of the Isle of Bute from the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the Scottish mainland. The surrounding hillsides are roughly wooded, and overlooked by rocky tops and areas of moorland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clyde steamer</span>

The Clyde steamer is the collective term for several passenger services that existed on the River Clyde in Scotland, running from Glasgow downstream to Rothesay and other towns, a journey known as going doon the watter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarbet, Argyll</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Tarbet is a small village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Located within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilmun</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Kilmun is a linear settlement on the north shore of the Holy Loch, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It takes its name from the 7th-century monastic community founded by an Irish monk, St Munn. The ruin of a 12th-century church still stands beside the Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Goil</span> Sea Loch in Scotland.

Loch Goil; is a small sea loch forming part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch is entirely within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strone, Cowal</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Strone is a village on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands at the point where the north shore of the Holy Loch becomes the west shore of the Firth of Clyde. The village lies within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Brack</span>

The Brack is a mountain, located in the Arrochar Alps, on the south side of Glen Croe, near Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute in Scotland. The Brack has two summits: the lower peak, Cruach Fhiarach, can be seen from the shores of Loch Long, and the main peak is seen from Glen Croe and Loch Goil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tighnabruaich</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Tighnabruaich; is a village on the Cowal Peninsula, on the western arm of the Kyles of Bute in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. In 2011 the population was 660. It is west of Glasgow and north of the Isle of Arran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stob an Eas</span> Mountain in Scotland

Stob an Eas is a 2401 ft (732m) Graham in the Arrochar Alps, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

Argyll's Bowling Green, also known as the Ardgoil peninsula, is an area on the Ardgoil estate in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

References

  1. "Loch Long". Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  2. Colegate's Guide to Dunoon, Kirn, and Hunter's Quay (second edition) – John Colegate (1868), page 53
  3. "History – Waverley Excursions" . Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  4. Dalton, Alastair. "Historic paddle steamer Waverley to operate daily until at least August as she sets sail with first 2021 passengers". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  5. Fullarton, Donald (29 July 2011). "Americans built oil terminal". Helensburgh Heritage. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  6. Brassey, Thomas, ed. (1913). "British Navy". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin and Co. p. 23.
  7. Makeenko, Viktoriia (6 January 2021). "Loch Long Torpedo Range". Abandoned Spaces. Timera Media. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  8. Nicol, James. "Home on the Range – The Passing of an Era". Arrochar, Tarbet and Ardlui Heritage. Retrieved 24 February 2021.