Loch Shiel
| Loch Shiel | ||
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| Loch Shiel photographed from the Glenfinnan Monument | ||
| Geographical location | Scotland , highland | |
| Tributaries | River Finnan, Callop River, River Polloch | |
| Drain | River Shiel | |
| Islands | Eilean Ghleann Fhionainn | |
| Places on the shore | Glenfinnan | |
| Location close to the shore | Fort William | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 56 ° 47 ′ N , 5 ° 35 ′ W | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 4.6 m ASL | |
| surface | 19.6 km² | |
| length | 26 km | |
| width | 1.26 km | |
| volume | 0.9 km³ | |
| Maximum depth | 128 m | |
| Middle deep | 40.5 m | |
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particularities |
The most natural of all the great Scottish lochs |
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Loch Shiel ( Scottish Gaelic Loch Seile ) is a freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands. It is located in the Highland Council Area about 20 kilometers west of Fort William . Measured by the size of the water surface, Loch Shiel is the seventh largest lake in Scotland.
description
Loch Shiel has the typical elongated shape of a lake formed by glaciers in the Ice Age . It is 28 kilometers long, but only 600 to 700 meters wide. The water surface covers 19.6 km², the water volume 0.9 km³. The greatest depth of the lake is 128 meters, the average depth 40.5 meters. Its catchment area covers 234 km².
Loch Shiel extends from Glenfinnan in the northeast to Acharacle in the southwest, where the lake drains over the River Shiel into Loch Moidart . Due to the geological conditions in the catchment area, the water in Loch Shiel is poor in nutrients, which results in relatively sparse flora and fauna in the lake. The north-eastern part of the lake is framed by mountains up to 882 meters high and much deeper than the south-western part, which is surrounded by a hilly landscape. Accordingly, tourism at Loch Shiel is mainly concentrated in the picturesque north-eastern region, which also has another tourist attraction with the Glenfinnan Monument .
Loch Shiel is part of the Loch Shiel National Scenic Area , an area that is subject to similar protection regulations as a national park . The entire region is extremely sparsely populated. There are no towns or industries in the immediate vicinity of Loch Shiel. Only five villages are close to the lake, namely Glenfinnan , Ardshealach , Acharacle , Polloch and Dalnabreck , although the latter two are not even directly on the shore. Still, the northeast side of the lake is easy to get to by both train and car from Fort William . Glenfinnan has a train station on the West Highland Line , which is served several times a day by First ScotRail trains and in the summer by the steam-powered " The Jacobite ". Glenfinnan can be reached by car via the well-developed A830 . The southwest side of Loch Shiel is much more inaccessible. The area around Acharacle can only be reached via single-lane roads with alternative points.
The water in Loch Shiel is largely free of pollutants and pollution . In addition, the lake is also characterized by its largely natural state from a hydraulic engineering point of view. The drainage of Loch Shiel, unlike any other Scottish lake of comparable size, is unregulated. There is no navigable embankment. Tourist boat trips are however offered from Acharacle .
history
The lake was the scene of two historical events. At the southwest end of the lake at Acharacle, Celtic tribes under their leader Somerled defeated a Norman army led by Torquil in 1140 . Torquil was killed in battle and the Normans were driven from the area for a long time.
At the northeastern end of Loch Shiel is the Glenfinnan Monument , which marks the point where the Highland clans met on August 19, 1745, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie to fight the - ultimately unsuccessful - uprising against English supremacy. Loch Shiel is therefore of particular importance to Scottish patriots. Once a year the historical site commemorates the events of 1745.
Movie
Glenfinnan on Loch Shiel is the fictional birthplace of Connor MacLeod (played by Christopher Lambert ) in the film Highlander (USA / GB, 1986). The recordings from the fictional headquarters of MacLeod did not come from Loch Shiel, but were shot at Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich . In addition, Loch Shiel was the filming location for all scenes from the Harry Potter films that take place at the fictional Hogwarts Lake .
Web links
- Data to the hole Shiel (English)
- Tourist information to the hole Shiel (English)