Loch Don facts for kids

Loch Don is a sea loch located on the east coast of the Isle of Mull, which is an island off the west coast of Scotland. Imagine a long, narrow arm of the sea reaching inland – that's what a sea loch is! Loch Don has a really interesting, twisty shape. It opens up into a larger body of water known as the Firth of Lorn. This loch is quite shallow, and when the tide goes out, much of its bottom becomes dry land.

Exploring Loch Don

The small community of Lochdon sits right at the head of the loch, next to the A849 road. From Lochdon, a smaller road winds south. It goes all the way around to a place called Grass Point. This is where the loch meets the wider waters of the Firth of Lorn.

How Loch Don Was Formed

Loch Don has a fascinating history, shaped by ice and water over millions of years. Around the northern end of the loch, you can find special landforms. These include a terminal moraine and sandy areas called deltaic deposits. These features were left behind by huge glaciers. They formed from the water that melted off the ice at the end of the last big Ice Age.

The Ancient Rocks of Loch Don

The shores of the outer part of Loch Don are made from basalt lava flows. These rocks are incredibly old, dating back to the Palaeogene period, which was millions of years ago! As you move further into the loch, the land is made of even older rocks. These include Palaeozoic basalt and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. Some of these sedimentary rocks are Triassic sandstones and Jurassic Lias layers. These different types of rocks tell a long story about Earth's changing surface over vast periods of time.