| Loch Eck | |
|---|---|
| Loch Eich (Scottish Gaelic) | |
 A view of the loch, looking north. | |
  Loch Eck | |
 | |
| Location | Argyll and Bute, Scotland. |
| Coordinates | 56°04′46″N 4°59′40″W / 56.079508°N 4.9944191°W National grid reference NS 13753 91453 |
| Type | Freshwater Loch and Reservoir. |
| Primary inflows | River Cur |
| Primary outflows | River Eachaig |
| Catchment area | 139.9 km2 (54.0 sq mi)[1] |
| Basin countries | Scotland, United Kingdom. |
| Designation | Site of Special Scientific Interest |
| Surface area | 4,259,000 m2 (45,840,000 sq ft) |
| Max. depth | 43 m (141 ft) |
| Water volume | 67,400,000 m3 (2.38×109 cu ft) |
| Surface elevation | 24 m (79 ft) |
| References | [2] |
Loch Eck (Gaelic: Loch Eich) is a freshwater loch located on the Cowal Peninsula, north of Dunoon, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It is seven miles (11 kilometres) long. It is oriented in a north-south direction. Its main inflow, at the northern end, is the River Cur, and its main outflow, at the southern end, is the River Eachaig, which meanders somewhat within the confines of the broad strath before flowing into the head of Holy Loch, about 5 km further south.
Along with Loch Lomond, it is the only naturally occurring habitat of the powan (fish),[3][4] although it is closely related to the gwyniad and other similar fish. The loch also has salmon, sea trout, brown trout and arctic char.[5]
Loch Eck is within the Argyll Forest Park, which is itself part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.[6][7] It is close to the Benmore Botanic Garden and the Benmore Outdoor Centre, which uses the loch and its surrounding for outdoor learning.[8]
The A815 road bounds the east side.[9] A pathway runs along the west side of the loch, and gives access to the Paper Caves, set in the steep hillside with caving access to a platform set above a steep scarp within the cave.[10] A legend holds that the Argyll family documents were hidden in the caves when the 9th Earl of Argyll was arrested, to prevent his lands from being made forfeit.[8]
The loch is an impounding reservoir, with a low concrete dam. Construction work began in 1974. The Loch Eck water treatment works opened in 1977, upgraded in 2012 by Scottish Water, which supplies the freshwater to much of the southeast of Cowal, including Dunoon.[11][12]
In July 2013, two dogs died due to algal bloom present in the loch. Warnings were then posted advising that people and animals should avoid contact with the water.[13][14] There were three further incidents: one in June 2019 and two in July 2021.[15]
The actress Emma Thompson owns a house on the shore of the loch.[16]
- ^ "86002 - Eachaig at Eckford". National River Flow Archive. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ Murray, Sir John; Pullar, Laurence (1910). Bathymetrical Survey of the Scottish Fresh Water Lochs. Edinburgh.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. (2008) Coregonus clupeoides. In:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. (Accessed 17 April 2010)
- ^ "Vendace and powan". NatureScot. Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "Loch Eck | Fishing | Argyll & the Isles | Welcome to Scotland". www.welcometoscotland.com. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ "Argyll Forest Park - Forestry Commission Scotland". Scotland.forestry.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "Map of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park" (PDF). Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Of Interest: Things to look out for". Benmore Centre for Outdoor Learning, Dunoon Argyll, Scotland, UK. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ Smith, Fraser (4 November 2019). "Loch Eck | Cowal | Argyll". Wild About Argyll. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Loch Eck, Paper Caves". Canmore. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ "Clearer, fresher drinking water for 20,000 people in Cowal" (Press release). Scottish Water. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ Loch Eck Water Treatment Works. waterprojectsonline.com. Retrieved 3 October 2024
- ^ "Loch Eck water warning issued as two dogs die suddenly after swimming | Glasgow & West | News | STV".
- ^ "Argyll, Cowal and Dunoon News | Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard". www.dunoon-observer.com.
- ^ "Our Dunoon surgery has recently seen 2 separate cases of suspected blue-green algae poisoning in dogs". Bute & Cowal Vets. 19 July 2021 – via Facebook.
- ^ Hattersley, Giles (7 May 2021). "Emma Thompson On Playing Fashionable Villain Baroness Von Hellman In 'Cruella' | British Vogue". www.vogue.co.uk.