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List of lochs of Scotland facts for kids

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For tidal waters taking the name "loch" around the Scottish coast, see List of sea lochs of Scotland.

Scotland is famous for its many beautiful lochs! A loch is a Scottish word for a lake or a long, narrow arm of the sea (like a fjord). You might have heard of the famous Loch Ness and its legendary monster!

There are over 31,000 freshwater lochs and smaller "lochans" (which means 'little lochs') in Scotland. More than 7,500 of these are in the Western Isles alone! Most of the bigger lochs are found in the Scottish Highlands. They often look long and narrow because they were carved out by huge glaciers (giant ice rivers) during the Ice Age.

The word "loch" comes from Scottish Gaelic, which is a language spoken in Scotland. It's similar to the Irish word lough. While "loch" is the most common name for these bodies of water, you might also find some called "water," especially in the northern islands. For example, there's Roer Water in Shetland and Heldale Water in Orkney. Interestingly, the Lake of Menteith is the only natural freshwater body in Scotland called a "lake"!

Scotland's Biggest Lochs

Loch Awe
Loch Awe, one of Scotland's largest lochs.

Scotland has some truly massive lochs! The table below shows the twelve largest lochs by how much water they hold (volume), their surface area, and how long they are.

Did you know that Loch Ness holds almost twice as much water as all the lakes in England and Wales put together? It's also incredibly deep!

Loch Volume
(km3)		 Area
(km2)		 Length
(km)		 Max. depth
(m)		 Mean depth
(m)
Loch Ness 7.45 1.79 56 22 36.2 22.5 227 745 132 433
Loch Lomond 2.6 0.62 71 27 36 22 190 620 37 121
Loch Morar 2.3 0.55 26.7 10.3 18.8 11.7 310 1,020 87 285
Loch Tay 1.6 0.38 26.4 10.2 23 14 150 490 60.6 199
Loch Awe 1.2 0.29 39 15 41 25 94 308 32 105
Loch Maree 1.09 0.26 28.6 11.0 20 12 114 374 38 125
Loch Ericht 1.08 0.26 18.6 7.2 23 14 156 512 57.6 189
Loch Lochy 1.07 0.26 16 6.2 16 9.9 162 531 70 230
Loch Rannoch 0.97 0.23 19 7.3 15.7 9.8 134 440 51 167
Loch Shiel 0.79 0.19 19.5 7.5 28 17 128 420 40 130
Loch Katrine 0.77 0.18 12.4 4.8 12.9 8.0 151 495 43.4 142
Loch Arkaig 0.75 0.18 16 6.2 19.3 12.0 109 358 46.5 153
Loch Shin 0.35 0.084 22.5 8.7 27.8 17.3 49 161 15.5 51

The Loch of Stenness and the Loch of Harray in Mainland Orkney are not big enough to be on the list above. However, they are special because they connect to the sea during high tide. The Loch of Stenness is the largest brackish (a mix of fresh and salt water) lagoon in the UK!

Mainland Lochs

Many lochs on the Scottish mainland have been changed into reservoirs. This means their water levels are controlled by dams or walls to store water for people to use or to help make hydroelectricity (power from water). These lochs are marked with reservoir next to their names.

Here are some of the lochs you can find on the mainland:

A

B

C

D

E

F

Loch Gamhna 1
Loch Gamhna, a beautiful loch in Rothiemurchus Forest.

G

H

  • Lochan Hakel (south of Tongue, Sutherland)
  • Loch Hallan (outer Hebridies, Scotland)
  • Loch Heilen (Caithness)
  • Loch Hempriggs (Thrumster, Caithness)
  • Hogganfield Loch (near Glasgow)
  • Loch Hope (Sutherland)
  • Loch Humphrey (Dumbarton) (reservoir)

I

K

L

M

N

  • Loch Nant (Argyll and Bute) (reservoir)
  • Loch Naver (Sutherland)
  • Loch Ness, the second largest by surface area and largest by volume
  • Loch Nell (southeast of Oban)

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

  • Loch Urr (Dumfries and Galloway)
  • Loch Ussie (near Dingwall)

V

W

Lochs on Islands

Scotland has many islands, and these islands also have lots of lochs! The Outer Hebrides (a group of islands off the west coast) have the most. Islands like North Uist, South Uist, and Lewis are covered in a maze of freshwater lochs. Harris has countless small lochans.

Larger Island Lochs

Here are some of the more important or larger lochs found on Scotland's islands. Their names often come from Scottish Gaelic or Old Norse.

Loch Meaning of name Island OS Grid ref. Area (ha) Depth (m) Notes
Loch a' Phuill Gaelic: Loch of the bog or pool Tiree NL955415 Located in the south west near Balephuil.
Loch Ascog Norse: Loch of ash bay Bute NS094626 44.7 110 Located south of Rothesay.
Loch Bà Mull NM569376 324 800 44 144
Loch Bì South Uist NF766438 10 33 South Uist's largest loch is in the north of the island and at 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long it all but cuts the island in two.
Loch of Boardhouse Mainland Orkney HY268264 244 600 5 16 In Birsay parish.
Loch Carabhat North Uist NF846613 151 370 22.5 74 North Uist's third largest loch.
Loch of Cliff Unst HP600117 104 260 6.5 21 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long and the most northerly loch in Britain.
Loch Coruisk Gaelic: Loch of the corrie of water Skye NG482206 38.4 126 Located in the heart of the Black Cuillin mountains on Skye.
Loch Druidibeag South Uist NF791374 500 1,200 Part of the Loch Druidibeg National Nature Reserve on the west coast of South Uist.
Loch Fad Gaelic: Long loch Bute NS074616 71 180 11.5 38 Stocked with Brown and Rainbow Trout the loch is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).
Loch Finlaggan Loch of the white hollow Islay NR387679 Eilean Mor was an important administration centre of the Lordship of the Isles long ago.
Loch Frisa Mull NM490480 430 1,100 62.5 205 Mull's largest loch.
Loch Gorm Blue loch Islay NR229657 Contains Loch Gorm Castle, once a stronghold of Clan Macdonald.
Loch of Harray Norse: Loch of the mound Mainland Orkney HY295151 971 2,400 4 13 Closely linked to the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage site.
Loch Langavat Gaelic/Norse: Long lake Lewis NB197205 906.5 2,240 30 98 This loch is over 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long.
Loch Leathan Gaelic: Broad Loch Skye NG500507 This loch, which includes Loch Fada, is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long.
Loch Mealt Skye NG507656 Located south of Ellishadder, on the eastern side of the Trotternish peninsula.
Muckle Water Scots: Big lake Rousay HY393901 One of the largest freshwater bodies in Orkney not on the Mainland.
Loch Olabhat Benbecula NF798509 One of Benbecula's larger lochs, it contains many islands.
Loch Sgadabhagh Norse: Possibly Loch of tax bay North Uist NF847685 453 1,120 15 49 This loch has a very irregular and complex shape.
Loch of Spiggie Shetland HU370165 86 210 12.5 41 Part of an RSPB Nature reserve.
Loch of Stenness Norse: Loch of the headland of the stone Mainland Orkney HY280126 647 1,600 5 16 The largest brackish lagoon in the UK, the Stones of Stenness are on its shore.
Loch Suaineabhal Loch of Sweyn's Fell Lewis NB069297 226 560 66.7 219 This loch is the most voluminous (holds the most water) on Lewis. It might be the deepest loch on any island in the British Isles.
Loch Tanna Arran NR921430 Arran's largest loch is 321 metres above sea level.
Loch of Tingwall Norse: Loch of the field of the parliament Mainland Shetland HU416425 43 110 12 39 West of Lerwick.

Smaller Island Lochs

Some smaller lochs on islands include:

Loch Leathan from near Storr 2007-08-22
Loch Leathan, Skye

Historic Lochs

Some lochs that used to exist have now been drained or filled in. Here are a few examples:

  • In Edinburgh –
    • Gogarloch – now drained.
    • Nor Loch — now filled in.
    • The Meadows – used to be a loch called Burghloch.
  • In Ayrshire –
    • Fail Loch – drained in the late 1840s.
    • Loch Brand – a small loch, drained in 1780. It was found to contain a crannog (an ancient artificial island).
    • Loch Brown – mostly drained in the 19th century.
    • Knockewart Loch – also known as Jargon Loch, now drained.
    • Lochlea, South Ayrshire – a loch near Tarbolton that famously contained a Crannog. It was drained by the mid-19th century.
    • Lochspouts – a small loch near Maybole, Ayrshire, with a crannog. It was turned into a reservoir and then drained in 2003.

See also

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List of lochs of Scotland Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.