List of lakes and lochs of the United Kingdom facts for kids
The lakes, lochs, loughs, and llyns of the United Kingdom are important bodies of water found across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. These names depend on where the lake is located. For example, in Scotland, lakes are called lochs. In Northern Ireland, they are known as loughs (pronounced the same as loch). In Wales, a lake is called a llyn.
Sometimes, the words "loch" and "lough" are also used for parts of the sea that are almost closed off by land. These might be called fjords or bays in other places. In Scotland, people often say "sea-loch" for these areas, like Loch Carron or Loch Torridon.
Many of the biggest lakes in England and Wales are actually reservoirs. These are man-made lakes or natural lakes that have been made bigger by building a dam. They are often used to store drinking water.
Contents
Biggest Lakes in the UK
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The table below shows the ten largest freshwater bodies in the UK based on their surface area.
Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is the largest lake by surface area. However, Loch Ness in Scotland holds the most water by volume. It has almost twice as much water as all the lakes in England and Wales put together!
Loch Morar is the deepest lake in the UK, reaching 310 metres (about 1,017 feet) down. Loch Awe is the longest, stretching for 41 kilometres (about 25 miles). The deepest lake in England is Wast Water, which is 76 metres (249 feet) deep.
| Name | Location | Area (km2) | Volume (km³) | Length (km) | Max. depth (m) | Mean depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lough Neagh | Northern Ireland | 383 | 3.528 | 30 | 25 | 9 |
| Lower Lough Erne | Northern Ireland | 109.5 | 1.3 | 29 | 62 | 11.9 |
| Loch Lomond | Scotland | 71 | 2.6 | 36 | 190 | 37 |
| Loch Ness | Scotland | 56 | 7.45 | 39 | 230 | 132 |
| Upper Lough Erne | Northern Ireland | 34.5 | < 0.35 | 19 | < 60 | 2.3 |
| Loch Awe | Scotland | 39 | 1.2 | 41 | 94 | 32 |
| Loch Maree | Scotland | 28.6 | 1.09 | 20 | 114 | 38 |
| Loch Morar | Scotland | 27 | 2.3 | 18.8 | 310 | 87 |
| Loch Tay | Scotland | 26.4 | 1.6 | 23 | 150 | 60.6 |
| Loch Shin | Scotland | 22.5 | 0.35 | 27.8 | 49 | 15.5 |
Biggest Natural Lakes in England
These are some of the largest natural lakes in England by their surface area.
| Lake | Area (sq mi) |
|---|---|
| Windermere | 5.69 |
| Ullswater | 3.44 |
| Bassenthwaite Lake | 2.06 |
| Derwent Water | 2.06 |
| Coniston Water | 1.89 |
Biggest Natural Lakes in Wales
These lakes are mostly natural, but some have small changes to control how water flows out of them.
| Lake | Area (sq mi) |
|---|---|
| Llyn Tegid | 1.87 |
| Llangorse Lake | 0.59 |
| Llyn Cowlyd | 0.42 |
| Llyn Padarn | 0.38 |
| Tal-y-llyn lake | 0.34 |
| Llyn Cwellyn | 0.34 |
| Llyn Llywenan | 0.20 |
| Kenfig Pool | 0.11 |
Biggest Reservoirs in the United Kingdom
Reservoirs are artificial lakes, often created to store water for drinking or power generation. Here are some of the largest in the UK.
| Lake | Area (sq mi) | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Rutland Water | 4.86 | England |
| Kielder Water | 4.25 | England |
| Lake Vyrnwy | 3.18 | Wales |
| Pitsford Water | 2.85 | England |
| Grafham Water | 2.85 | England |
| Chew Valley Lake | 1.88 | England |
| Trawsfynydd | 1.84 | Wales |
| Clywedog | 1.55 | Wales |
| Carron Valley | 1.51 | Scotland |
| Haweswater | 1.50 | England |
| Derwent Reservoir | 1.44 | England |
| Llyn Brenig | 1.44 | Wales |
| Colliford | 1.4 | England |
| Thirlmere | 1.25 | England |
| Llyn Celyn | 1.25 | Wales |
See also
- List of lakes in England
- List of loughs in Ireland
- List of lochs in Scotland
- List of lakes in Wales
- List of lakes in the Lake District
- Geography of the United Kingdom
