Loch Chon

Loch Chon
View of Loch Chon looking over the north end of the loch towards the country house of Frenich and Loch Ard Forest.
Loch Chon
Location	Stirlingshire, Scotland
Coordinates	56°12′52″N 4°32′53″W / 56.2145°N 4.548°W / 56.2145; -4.548
Type	freshwater loch
Primary inflows	various streams
Primary outflows	Water of Chon – Loch Ard – River Forth – Firth of Forth
Max. length	2.57 km (1.60 mi)[1]
Max. width	0.38 km (0.24 mi)[1]
Surface area	105.7 ha (261 acres)[2]
Average depth	8.8 m (29 ft)[1]
Max. depth	23 m (75 ft)[1]
Shore length1	7.2 km (4.5 mi) [2]
Surface elevation	92 m (302 ft)[2]
Islands	Heron Island
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Loch Chon is a freshwater loch situated west of the village of Aberfoyle, near the small village of Kinlochard, Stirling, Scotland, UK. Loch Chon lies upstream of Loch Ard and to the south of Loch Katrine.

In the past, Loch Chon was known as Loch-a-Choin^[3] - loch of the dog/dogs. Choin is the Scots Gaelic word for dog in its genitive case (coin), lenited because loch is a masculine noun, causing an 'h' to be placed after the 'c'.^[4]

It releases its water into the 4.5-kilometre (2.8 mi) long Water of Chon, which not far from the outlet passes Loch Dhu, and is the main affluent of Loch Ard. Loch Chon itself is fed by several small streams which can be considered to be the true sources of the River Forth.^[1][2]

There are three islands in the loch. Two are unnamed, including the largest, which is roughly 315 feet/96 metres long. The medium sized island is called Heron Island^[5] and is roughly 230 feet/70 metres long.