Loch Ness

For other uses, see Loch Ness (disambiguation).

Loch Ness
With Urquhart Castle in the foreground
Location	Highlands, Scotland
Coordinates	57°18′N 4°27′W
Lake type	freshwater loch, oligotrophic, dimictic
Primary inflows	River Oich/Caledonian Canal, River Moriston, River Foyers, River Enrick, River Coilte
Primary outflows	River Ness/Caledonian Canal
Catchment area	1,775 km2 (685 sq mi)
Basin countries	Scotland
Max. length	36.3 km (22.6 mi)
Max. width	2.7 km (1.7 mi)
Surface area	56.4 km2 (21.8 sq mi)
Average depth	132 m (433 ft)
Max. depth	226.96 m (744.6 ft)
Water volume	7.4 km3 (1.8 cu mi)
Surface elevation	15.8 m (52 ft)
Islands	1 (Cherry Island)
Settlements	Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit, Abriachan, Lochend; Whitebridge, Foyers, Inverfarigaig, Dores.

Loch Ness ( /ˌlɒx ˈnɛs/; Scottish Gaelic: Loch Nis, [l̪ˠɔxˈniʃ]) is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands (57°18′N 4°27′W) extending for approximately 37 km (23 mi) southwest of Inverness. Its surface is 15.8 m (52 ft) above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie". It is connected at the southern end by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal to Loch Oich. At the northern end there is the Bona Narrows which opens out into Loch Dochfour, which feeds the River Ness and a further section of canal to Inverness. 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.

Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56.4 km² (21.8 sq mi) after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth, it is the largest by volume. Its deepest point is 230 m (755 ft), deeper than the height of London's BT Tower at 189 m (620 ft) and deeper than any other loch except Loch Morar. It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest body of water on the Great Glen Fault, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south.

Villages and places

Places on Loch Ness

North	Lochend
Shores	Western	Eastern
	Abriachan Drumnadrochit Urquhart Castle Invermoriston	Dores Inverfarigaig Foyers Whitebridge
South	Fort Augustus

At Drumnadrochit is "The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibtion" which examines the natural history and legend of Loch Ness. Boat cruises operate from various locations on the loch shore, giving visitors the chance to look for the "monster".

Urquhart Castle is located on the Western shore, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Drumnadrochit.

Lighthouses are located at Lochend (Bona Lighthouse) and Fort Augustus.

Fish species

Urquhart Bay and Loch Ness viewed from Grant's Tower at Urquhart Castle.

European eel	Anguilla anguilla
Pike	Esox lucius
Three-spined stickleback	Gasterosteus aculeatus
Brook lamprey	Lampetra planeri
Eurasian minnow	Phoxinus phoxinus
Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar
Sea trout	Salmo trutta
Brown trout	Salmo trutta
Arctic char	Salvelinus alpinus

Island

The only island on Loch Ness is Cherry Island, visible at its southwestern end, near Fort Augustus. It is a crannog, which is a form of artificial island. (Most crannogs were constructed during the Iron Age.)

There was formerly a second island (Dog Island) which was submerged when the water level was raised during the construction of the Caledonian Canal.

Hydroelectricity

Loch Ness serves as the lower storage reservoir for the Foyers pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, which was the first of its kind in United Kingdom. The turbines were originally used to provide power for a nearby aluminium smelting plant, but now electricity is generated and supplied to the National Grid. Another scheme, the 100 MW Glendoe Hydro Scheme near Fort Augustus, has recently finished construction and began generation in June 2009 producing 76 gigawatt hours in its first months of operation, but is currently out of service while awaiting repair of the tunnels connecting the reservoir to the turbines

Geology

Loch Ness lies along the Great Glen Fault, which forms a line of weakness in the rocks which has been excavated by glacial erosion, forming the Great Glen and the basins of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness.

Gallery

• 

  Locks on Caledonian Canal in Fort Augustus, Loch Ness in the background

• 

  Loch Ness looking south, taken in May 2006.

• 

  Sunrise over Loch Ness, taken at Urquhart Castle

• 

  Loch Ness panorama from a ship in 2008

Loch Ness World Records

On the 31 August 1974, Mr David Scott Munro, of Ross-shire Caberfeidh Water Ski Club, became the first person in the world to Water ski (mono ski) the length of Loch Ness. From Lochend to Fort Augustus and back, he covered the 48 miles in 77 minutes at an average speed of 37 miles per hour.

External links

• Media related to Loch Ness at Wikimedia Commons
• Loch Ness travel guide from Wikitravel
• Loch Ness information Website, Editor Tony Harmsworth
• Loch Ness Project Research Site, Editor Adrian Shine
• Loch Ness Investigation website, Editor Dick Raynor
• Loch Ness Pictures
• Loch Ness Guide
• Virtual Tour of Loch Ness and surrounding area