Loch of Strathbeg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Loch Strathbeg
Looking south-east across the loch
Loch Strathbeg Location in Aberdeen
Location	Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Coordinates	57°37′11″N 1°52′37″W / 57.619806°N 1.876943°W / 57.619806; -1.876943
Lake type	loch
Basin countries	United Kingdom
Ramsar Wetland
Designated:	27 November 1995
Reference #:	778

View across the loch

The RSPB Starnafin visitors centre for the loch

The Loch of Strathbeg is a special place in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It's a protected area for wildlife. You can find it near the towns of Rattray and Crimond.

The RSPB looks after the loch. They have built three special hides where visitors can watch birds and other animals. You can get to the loch through Crimond airfield. There's a car park there. The 'Starnafin Centre' is also a great place to learn about the local wildlife.

The RSPB has counted many different types of animals here. They have found over 260 kinds of birds. There are also 280 types of insects and 26 kinds of mammals.

How Loch Strathbeg Was Formed

The Loch of Strathbeg is quite new in terms of Earth's history. It formed naturally during a huge storm in 1720. Before this, the area was a lagoon connected to the sea. There was a small harbour called Starny Keppie and a village named Rattray.

The storm caused a lot of sand to move. This sand blocked the lagoon from the sea. It also covered the harbour and the village. A historical story says the storm blocked a stream called the "burn of Strathbeg." After that, the stream started flowing directly into the new loch.

Another stream, the "Burn o’ Rattra," also flows into the loch. Maps show that four streams, or "burns" as they are called in Scotland, flow into the loch. There is only one exit point from the loch into the North Sea.

Loch Size and Depth Over Time

In 1854, people estimated the loch was about 2.9 square kilometers (550 Scotch acres). Most of it was in the area of Crimond. At that time, its average depth was about 1.1 meters (3.5 feet). The deepest part was around 2 meters (6.5 feet).

However, the loch's size and depth have changed over time. The same old records say that the nearby beach was very wet. They also noted that the loch had become shallower by about 1.2 meters (4 feet) since 1817. That was only 37 years earlier!

Loch of Strathbeg During World War II

The Loch of Strathbeg played a small role during World War II. In 1943, the German air force, called the Luftwaffe, used the loch area. They dropped supplies for spies in the northern part of the loch.

One time in 1943, the British used a double agent. They set up a fake drop to trick the Germans. A case with a radio, money, and sabotage tools was dropped.

After the war ended in 1945, there was a big minefield on the beach at Rattray. To clear these dangerous land mines, water pumps were used at the Loch of Strathbeg. These pumps provided high-pressure water. This water was used to wash the land mines out of the sand dunes. Sadly, some Royal Engineer soldiers were killed during this dangerous work.

Historical Maps of the Loch

Old maps of the area show how Strathbeg Bay changed into the Loch of Strathbeg. These maps help us understand how the landscape has transformed over hundreds of years.