Loch Lomond
| Loch Lomond | ||
|---|---|---|
Jan2000.jpg)
|
||
| Geographical location | Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park , Scotland | |
| Tributaries | Falloch | |
| Drain | Leven → Clyde | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 56 ° 5 ′ N , 4 ° 36 ′ W | |
|
||
| Altitude above sea level | 7.9 m ASL | |
| surface | 71 km² | |
| length | 39 km | |
| width | 8 kilometers | |
| volume | 2.6 km³ | |
| Maximum depth | 190 m | |
| Middle deep | 37 m | |
|
particularities |
largest lake in Scotland with numerous islands |
|
The Loch Lomond (pronounced British [ˌlɒχ ləʊmənd] ; locally [ˌloχ lo: mənd] ; gaelic hole Laomainn ) with 71 of the largest by area km² lake in Scotland and throughout the island of Great Britain (but not the UK ). It is located in the southwest of the Highlands 23 km northwest of Glasgow in the Council Areas Argyll and Bute , West Dunbartonshire and Stirling . Sung in romantic songs like The Bonnie Banks o 'Loch Lomond , the lake is considered the most beautiful in Scotland. Part of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park since 2002 .
Size and location
Loch Lomond extends in a north-south direction over a length of 39 km, is up to 8 km wide and up to 190 m deep. After Lough Neagh and Lough Erne in Northern Ireland, it is the third largest lake in the United Kingdom with its 71 km². In terms of its water volume, it is surpassed by the smaller, but on average much deeper Loch Ness .
Loch Lomond is easily accessible by both train and the A82 . Public transport can be found almost exclusively on the lively west bank. There the A82 runs over the entire length of the lake from Balloch in the south to Ardlui in the north. Cyclists can use the approximately 28 km long West Loch Lomond Cycle Path on this bank . It connects the terminus of Balloch with the station of Arrochar and Tarbet in the north, the latter is a station on the West Highland Line . There are also various bus routes.
The quieter east bank is densely forested. Along it runs the West Highland Way , the popular Scottish walking route, which leads 154 km from Milngavie ( Glasgow ) to Fort William . The east bank is hardly accessible by car. Only to Balmaha there is a dead end road (B837) from the southeast, which continues to Rowardennan and later loses itself in an old forest road. Balmaha is also the only place on the east coast accessible by bus. To the north of it there is also a separate access road from the east to Inversnaid .
There are several small ferry connections across Loch Lomond, at least during the summer months. There are moorings in Rowardennan, Inversnaid, Ardleish, Ardlui, Inverbeg, Tarbet and Balmaha, among others.
Islands
Loch Lomond has up to 60 islands of different sizes, depending on the water level. Some of the islands are only visible when the water level is low. Other sources speak of a total of 30 islands.
Three islands are inhabited, Inchmurrin (13 inhabitants), Inchtavannach (3 inhabitants) and Inchfad (2 inhabitants). Inchmurrin, named after the Irish saint Mirin , is the largest freshwater island in the British Isles at 1.2 km² . It is located in the southern tip of the lake and is accessible to the general public. An illegal whiskey distillery was built on Inchfad in the 19th century , the ruins of which can still be seen in the thicket.
Some other islands are privately owned, the others serve as nature reserves. Inchcailoch Island has been declared a Natural Heritage of Scotland, but is open to entry. Bucinch and Ceardach are owned by the National Trust for Scotland . Some of the islands are treated as " Sites of Special Scientific Interest" (SSSI).
Music and poetry
- The lake has entered into stories and songs over the centuries. The poem Loch Lomond is believed to be based on a letter written by the young soldier Donald McDonald of Clan Keppoch to his lover Moira after the Second Jacobite Rising of 1745 while he was waiting for his execution at Carlisle Castle for his part in the uprising. Possibly on the basis of this letter Andrew Lang composed his famous verses The Bonnie Banks o 'Loch Lomond , which appeared around 1876. His poem was set to music over the years and is now a traditional Scottish folk song, which became internationally known through the interpretation of the Scottish music group Runrig .
- The English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams processed this popular folk song into the classic vocal piece Loch Lomond for male choir and baritone solo.
- The composer Thieriot created the symphonic fantasy picture of the lake for orchestra .
- The fourth act of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aroldo , premiered in 1857, is set on Loch Lomond.
- A jazz track arranged by Claude Thornhill and interpreted by Maxine Sullivan was played at a 1938 Benny Goodman concert at Carnegie Hall .
- The Berlin folk band The Sandsacks released a song entitled Loch Lomond on their album Folk Show in 2007.
- Canadian folk punk bank The Real McKenzies released a song called Loch Lomond on their album S / T back in 2001.
- The Dutch Irish folk band Rapalje also released a song called Loch Lomond on their album Spades in 2010.
- The Dutch folk band Scrum released a song with the same title on their album Killing Time in 2012.
- The fact that songs with the title Loch Lomond enjoyed some popularity on various albums before the turn of the millennium - especially in 1993 - is also proven by the releases of the artist Alastair McDonald on his album Scotland in Song and the ensemble The King's Singers that same year on his album Folk Songs Of The British Isles.
Others
Since 1966, is on the southern shore of Loch Lomond in Alexandria branded whiskey Loch Lomond burned. In the comic series Tintin and Struppi , one of the main characters, Captain Haddock, likes to drink (and usually too much) Scottish whiskey from this then still fictional brand.
The lake is known among golfers for its golf course , which was built in the mid-1990s and on which the Scottish Open was held from 2001 to 2010 .
In 2005, the readers of the British program guide Radio Times voted Loch Lomond as the sixth finest natural wonder in the United Kingdom and the best in Scotland. The vote was won by the Dan yr Ogof cave system in Wales.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Loch Lomond Islands , accessed August 8, 2018.
- ↑ Islands , accessed August 8, 2018.
- ↑ Hugh Taylor, Moira McCrossan and other: Scotland (series Falk Spirallo guide). Falk Verlag, Ostfildern, 2nd, updated edition 2004, ISBN 3-8279-0176-6 , in it the chapter Central Scotland.
- ↑ BBC News: Caves win 'natural wonder' vote , August 2, 2005, accessed January 13, 2014
