Loch Watten

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Loch Watten
Loch Watten.jpg
Highland UK relief location map.jpg
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Loch Watten
Location Caithness
Coordinates 58°29′25″N3°19′46″W / 58.49028°N 3.32944°W / 58.49028; -3.32944
Type freshwater loch
Basin  countriesScotland

Loch Watten is a natural loch in the River Wick drainage basin in Caithness, Scotland. [1]

Contents

Name

The name is almost a tautology, but not perfectly: The word "loch" (of Gaelic origin) means "lake", of course. The Norse word vatn means "water", in general, [2] including terms like brunn-vatn ("fountain water") and regn-vatn ("rain water"), but is also found in the names of several lakes, such as Þingvallavatn and Myvatn in Iceland, and Røssvatnet and Møsvatn in Norway, similar to some English naming customs, e. g. Kielder Water.

Geography

Loch Watten has a surface of 373 ha, a mean depth of 2.6 m and a maximum depth of 3.7 m. The surface level is 17 m A.O.D.. Its catchment area comprises 55,78 km2. Its main tributaries are the Quoynee Burn (from Loch Scarmclate [3] ) and the Gillock Burn, merging 800 metres before their entry. The outlet towards Wick River has a length of about 500 metres and is called Loch Burn.

Usage

Loch Watten is well known as a good fly fishing loch for brown trout with the local village Watten being located to the south.

References

  1. Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 11 Thurso & Dunbeath (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2009. ISBN   9780319231630.
  2. Cleasby & Vigfusson Dictionary of Old Norse, headword vatn
  3. UK Lakes Portal, waterbody ID 2499, Loch Scarmclate

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