Loch Lomond

For other uses, see Loch Lomond (disambiguation).

Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is located in Scotland
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Location in Scotland
Loch Lomond is located in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is located in West Dunbartonshire
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Location partly in West Dunbartonshire
LocationWest Dunbartonshire/Argyll and Bute/Stirling, Scotland
Coordinates56°04′N 4°35′W / 56.067°N 4.583°W / 56.067; -4.583
Typefreshwater loch, ribbon lake, dimictic
Primary inflowsEndrick Water, Fruin Water, River Falloch
Primary outflowsRiver Leven
Catchment area696 km2 (269 sq mi)
Basin countriesScotland
Max. length36.4 km (22.6 mi)[1]
Max. width8 km (5.0 mi)[2]
Surface area71 km2 (27.5 sq mi)[1]
Max. depth190 m (620 ft)[3]
Water volume2.6 km3 (0.62 cu mi)
Residence time1.9 years
Surface elevation7.9 m (26 ft)[3]
FrozenLast partial freezing: 2010[4]
Islands60 (Inchcailloch, Inchmurrin, Inchfad)
Sections/sub-basinsnorth basin, south basin
SettlementsBalloch, Ardlui, Balmaha, Luss, Rowardennan, Tarbet
Designated5 January 1976
Reference no.73[5]
Shown within Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

Loch Lomond (/ˈlɒx ˈloʊmənd/; Scottish Gaelic: Loch Laomainn) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.[1] Traditionally forming part of the boundary between the counties of Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire, Loch Lomond is split between the council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire. Its southern shores are about 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of the centre of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city.[2] The Loch forms part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park which was established in 2002.

Loch Lomond is 36.4 kilometres (22.6 mi) long[1] and between 1 and 8 kilometres (0.62–4.97 mi) wide,[2] with a surface area of 71 km2 (27.5 sq mi).[1] It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area;[6] in the United Kingdom, it is surpassed only by Lough Neagh and Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.[7] In the British Isles as a whole there are several larger loughs in the Republic of Ireland. The loch has a maximum depth of about 190 metres (620 ft) in the deeper northern portion, although the southern part of the loch rarely exceeds 30 metres (98 ft) in depth.[3] The total volume of Loch Lomond is 2.6 km3 (0.62 cu mi), making it the second largest lake in Great Britain, after Loch Ness, by water volume.[8]

The loch contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles.[9] Loch Lomond is a popular leisure destination and is featured in the song "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond". The loch is surrounded by hills,[10] including Ben Lomond on the eastern shore, which is 974 metres (3,196 ft) in height[2] and the most southerly of the Scottish Munro peaks. A 2005 poll of Radio Times readers voted Loch Lomond as the sixth greatest natural wonder in Britain.[11]

  1. ^ a b c d e Tom Weir. The Scottish Lochs. pp. 33-43. Published by Constable and Company, 1980. ISBN 0-09-463270-7
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference sheet56 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference snh-geology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Loch Lomond iced over. - Images - David R Mitchell Archive". davidrmitchell.photoshelter.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Loch Lomond". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. ^ Peter Matthews, ed. (1994). The Guinness Book of Records 1995. Guinness World Records Limited. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-85112-736-1.
  7. ^ Whitaker's Almanack (1991) London. J. Whitaker and Sons. p. 127.
  8. ^ "Scotland’s Water Environment Review 2000–2006"[dead link‍] SEPA. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  9. ^ Worsley, Harry (1988). Loch Lomond: The Loch, the Lairds and the Legends. Glasgow: Lindsay Publications. ISBN 978-1-898169-34-5.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference lltnp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Caves win 'natural wonder' vote" BBC.co.uk Retrieved 10 December 2006.