Loch Vaa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Loch Vaa |
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View from the bank
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 Loch Vaa
Location in Scotland
Loch Vaa
Location in the United Kingdom
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| Location | Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 57°14′06″N 3°48′03″W / 57.23500°N 3.80083°W |
| Type | Freshwater loch |
| Primary inflows | Spring-fed |
| Basin countries | Scotland |
| Surface area | 39 acres (16 ha) |
Loch Vaa is a beautiful freshwater lake in the Highland area of Scotland. You can find it between the towns of Boat of Garten and Aviemore. It's part of the amazing Cairngorms National Park. People love to visit Loch Vaa for fishing, swimming, and boating. Its old wooden boathouse is a favorite spot for taking pictures. The loch also hides the remains of an ancient island fort called a crannog. In 2018 and 2019, the loch's water level dropped a lot. It only returned to normal after a long period of rain.
About Loch Vaa
Loch Vaa is a freshwater loch, which is the Scottish word for lake. It covers about 39 acres (16 ha). The water in the loch comes from natural springs underground. People often say the water is "gin clear," meaning it's very clean and see-through.
A local estate owns the loch. However, some businesses have permission to offer fun activities there. You can go fishing, swimming, and boating. The loch is managed for fishing. It is stocked with brown and rainbow trout. You might also spot wild grebe birds swimming on the water.
The loch has a special wooden boathouse. It stands in the water and is used for fishing. This boathouse is very popular. Many tourists and photographers come to see it and take pictures.
The Ancient Crannog
Loch Vaa is home to the remains of a crannog. A crannog is a type of old fort. It was built on an artificial island in the water. People built these structures for protection a very long time ago.
Wood found from the Loch Vaa crannog shows it was built around the 13th century. That's over 700 years ago! But it might be even older. It could date back to the time of the Picts. The Picts were an ancient people who lived in Scotland. Some parts of the crannog might even be from the Iron Age.
The Big Water Drop
Between September 2018 and May 2019, Loch Vaa's water level dropped a lot. The loch lost about 35,000,000 imperial gallons (160,000,000 litres) of water. This caused the water level to fall by about 1.4 metres (4.6 feet).
By mid-September, boats could not reach the famous boathouse. Soon, you could walk right up to it on dry land! The loch's owner even thought about moving the boathouse. By May 2019, the water level was the lowest it had been in 750 years. Experts who study old things were called in. They checked the historic crannog remains.
Luckily, the crannog was not damaged by the low water. Water helps to protect these old wooden structures. The water level was just a few centimeters above the old timbers. This was a very close call!
People wondered why the water level dropped so much. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said it was because the winter of 2018/19 was very dry. This led to low groundwater levels in the area. Some people thought Scottish Water might be responsible. They had recently drilled a new borehole nearby. A borehole is a deep hole dug to get water.
However, Scottish Water said their borehole was 3 miles (4.8 km) away. They also explained that the local ground structure kept the loch separate from their water site. The water levels in Loch Vaa rose a lot by July 2019. This was after 37 days of rain. By 2020, the water level was the highest it had been in 20 years.
Gallery
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The crannog island
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Boathouse
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Fishermen on the loch
