Lochan Fada, Letterewe

Lochan Fada
Lochan Fada
	Lochan Fada in early morning. Beinn Lair on the left and A'Mhaighdean on the right.
	Lochan Fada Location in Wester Ross
Location	NH02617109
Coordinates	57°41′18″N 5°19′21″W / 57.6883°N 5.3225°W
Type	freshwater loch
Basin countries	Scotland
Max. length	5.8 km (3.6 mi)
Max. width	0.9 km (0.56 mi)
Surface area	377 ha (930 acres)
Average depth	102.5 ft (31.2 m)
Max. depth	248 ft (76 m)
Water volume	4,153,363,991 cu ft (117,610,171.0 m3)
Shore length1	15 km (9.3 mi)
Surface elevation	311 m (1,020 ft)
Max. temperature	51.5 °F (10.8 °C)
Min. temperature	44.1 °F (6.7 °C)
	1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lochan Fada (The long loch) is a large remote and deep freshwater loch that is located three miles north-east of Loch Maree in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.^[1]^[2]

Geography

Lochan Fada lies almost directly north of Loch Maree running in a parallel direction, separated by a boggy plateau that runs the length of Loch Maree and constitutes the majority of Letterewe Forest.^[3] The plateau is bounded by Slioch, one of Scotland's Munros, known as "The Spear" at 981 metres (3218 feet) that dominates the south-eastern end.^[4] In the middle of the plateau is Beinn Lair at (859 m) with several smaller peaks at the north-western end with the highest being Beinn Airigh Charr at 792 m. Within the ridge is small remote Loch Garbhaig that lies below the northern cliffs of Slioch.

A vast number of lochs and lochans surround Lochan Fada. To the north-west lies the largest at Fionn Loch in Letterewe Forest. The area directly north of the loch contains a large number of very small lochans grouped around the mountain Ruadh Stac Mor at 919 metres (3,015 ft). To the north-east lies Loch a' Bhraoin. The loch is drained by "Abhainn an Fhasaig", which has carved a steep, rocky gorge, through a waterfall eventually reaching Loch Maree.

Gallery

Images of Lochan Fada
Lochan Fada at sunset. In the distance are Beinn Lair on the left and A' Mhaighdean on the right.
Outflow from the loch
Early morning on Lochan Fada.
Lochan Fada at the south-eastern shore
Cairn on the ridge of Beinn Lair. A glimpse of the top end of Lochan Fada can be seen below.
Looking towards Slioch from Grudie with Lochan Fada in the foreground

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f John, Murray; Lawrence, Pullar. Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897–1909 Lochs of the Ewe Basin Volume II – Lochan Fada. p. 219. Retrieved 8 December 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Lochan Fada". Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER). Retrieved 8 December 2023.
^ Sandison, Bruce (1997). Trout & Salmon Rivers and Lochs of Scotland. Ludlow: Stackpole Books. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-873674-31-4.
^ Townsend, Chris (30 March 2011). Scotland. Milnathorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone Press Limited. p. 411. ISBN 978-1-84965-353-4.

[bathy-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f John, Murray; Lawrence, Pullar. Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897–1909 Lochs of the Ewe Basin Volume II – Lochan Fada. p. 219. Retrieved 8 December 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[britlakes-2] "Lochan Fada". Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER). Retrieved 8 December 2023.

[3] Sandison, Bruce (1997). Trout & Salmon Rivers and Lochs of Scotland. Ludlow: Stackpole Books. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-873674-31-4.

[4] Townsend, Chris (30 March 2011). Scotland. Milnathorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone Press Limited. p. 411. ISBN 978-1-84965-353-4.

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