Loch Morar

Deepest lake in the British Isles.

Loch Morar ( Scottish Gaelic: Loch Mhòrair ) is a freshwater lake on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. It is in the unitary authority Highland and has a maximum water depth of 310 m, the deepest lake in the British Isles.

Description

Loch Morar has the typical elongated shape of a lake during the Ice Age glacial origin. He is about 19 km long, but on average only about 1 km wide. It has a water volume of 2.3 cubic kilometers and is - measured at the surface of 26.7 km ² - the fifth largest lake in Scotland.

Loch Morar gets its water from numerous rivers and streams that flow on all sides into the lake. The largest tributaries are Meoble feeding the lake with water from the hole Bearaid, and Abhainn Taodhail and Abhainn Ceann - loch- morar. Loch Morar drained at its west end over the Morar, which ends after about a kilometer in the homonymous resort in the Atlantic. The catchment area of Loch Morar is compared to other Scottish lakes of similar size of 142 km ² quite small. The water in the lake is therefore relatively low in nutrients, due to the remoteness of the lake but almost completely free of contaminants.

The enormous depth of the lake and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean cause a microclimate near the shore. The winter at Loch Morar are mild and the summers are cool. This effect is caused on the one hand by its proximity to the sea. On the other hand, also has the deep water in the lake itself a balancing effect. It cools in the winter, to a lesser extent on as is the case in shallow lakes and warm in summer accordingly less. Loch Morar ice in winter only occasionally near the shore, but not in the deeper parts of the lake.

In the lake there are several uninhabited - in most cases heavily forested - Islands. To the west of Loch Morar an archipelago located in five major and some only a few square meters comprehensive Islands. The five larger islands are called Eilean Ban, An t - Eilean Meadhion, Eilean nam Breac, Eilean Ghibbi and Eilean a ' Phidhir. Approximately in the middle of the lake lie the islands of Iceland and Brinacory Eilean Allmha. On the east is Eilean nan Reithean. Loch Morar is a fishing area where mainly from boats fished. The catch is primarily for trout and salmon.

Loch Morar is located in an extremely sparsely populated area. The south bank of the lake is uninhabited today. On the north shore are only two small villages in the west, and Bracora Bracorina, both of which consist of only a few farmsteads. The eastern part of the North Shore is also uninhabited. On the western shore of the lake is Morar with a slightly larger village that is easy to reach both by train and by car. Loch Morar is developed only in the west by a good road, the A830. From this latter performs a small access road a short distance on the north shore of the lake, but ends after a few kilometers short behind Bracorina. The other bank sections are not accessible by car. This seclusion of Loch Morar was absent in earlier centuries. It is rather the result of the Highland Clearances, the widespread introduction of sheep farming and the migration of population from the area but little suitable for agriculture.

Sea Monster

As in the case of Loch Ness is sometimes of a sea monster, which is to live in Loch Morar, reported. The supposed sea monster named Mhorag and should be the same entity as Nessie. According to legend, the sighting of Mhorag announces the death of a member of the local branch of the clan MacDonald. In addition, it is claimed that Loch Morar, to be linked by a maze of underground passages, with the lakes and rivers in the Great Glen, including Loch Ness.