Lake Ness

Loch Ness ( Loch Ness in English and Loch Nis in Gaelic). It is a large, deep freshwater lake located in the Highlands of Scotland, in the United Kingdom. This lake is one of a series of lakes in Scotland that were carved by glaciers during the previous ice ages . Its waters have exceptionally low visibility due to the high peat content from nearby soils.

Summary

[ disguise ]

• 1 Location
• 2 Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle
• 3 Geographic and geological characteristics
• 4 Sources

Location

Loch Ness, with Urquhart Castle. It extends approximately 37 km. southwest of Inverness. It is the largest body of water on the geological fault line known as the Great Glen which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south. The Caledonian Canal, which links to the sea at both ends of the Great Glen, uses Loch Ness as part of its route. This loch is one of a series of interconnected lochs in Scotland that were carved by glaciers during previous ice ages. Its waters have exceptionally low visibility due to the high peat content from nearby soils. It is the second largest lake in Scotland by surface area at around 56.4 km2, but due to its great depth it is the largest in volume.

It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined. At its deepest part, 226 m., the BT Tower of London of 189 m., would be completely submerged Fort August Locks, Loch Ness. Loch Ness is best known for alleged sightings of the legendary Nessie, as he is colloquially called, although this loch is attractive in its own right. Boats depart from various points along its coastline giving tourists the opportunity to search for the monster . It also functions as the lowest of the reservoirs for the pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, the first of its kind in Britain. The turbines were originally used to supply power to a nearby mill, but are now generating and supplying electricity to the national grid. In its most southwestern part, near Fort Augustus, you can see the lake’s only island. Cherry Island is an example of crannog (artificial islands generally dating from the Iron Age ).

Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle

Many years ago, the Picts (tribes that lived in central and northern Scotland) used to tell their children stories about a monster that lived in the dark and dangerous waters of Loch Ness. The monster, when it was hungry, emerged from the lake and transformed into a beautiful horse who waited for the walkers on the lake’s shore to ride it and then galloped towards the waters and there devoured its victims. This kept the children away from the lake.

Legend has it that around the year 565 the missionary St. Columba was traveling through the Scottish Highlands preaching the gospel among the Picts. He arrived at the shores of the lake where some men were burying another who had been attacked by a sea beast. St. Columba asked one of them to swim to the boat and bring it closer to shore. At that moment the monster emerged from the water and tried to attack the man. St. Columba raised his cross and shouted to the monster “Stop! Don’t touch that man”, the beast obeyed him and disappeared into the waters. The saint’s action was providential because although since then and throughout the centuries the monster has been seen on more than 3,000 occasions, it seems that its behavior became quite peaceful and, luckily for the inhabitants of Ness, it has not returned. attack anyone.

Nessie is now loved and respected by all the locals, who defend her existence and has become a national symbol that not only resides in the lake but also in the hearts of all Scots. It attracts thousands of tourists and has been the subject of numerous scientific studies. It is a bit timid because the only images we have of Nessie are stolen in the best paparazzi style and somewhat blurry, feeding the fascination that we all have for mystery and inexplicable phenomena. Together with Yeti and Big Foot they form the most famous mysterious trio in the world.

Nessie lives in Loch Ness, 39 km away. from Inverness, the capital of the region. Its deep and dark waters due to the peat of its soil, a surface of more than 56 km2, a depth of 240 m. and more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, making this lake the second largest in Scotland. The water temperature at more than 30 meters deep is warm, so on very cold days there is steam on the surface of the lake, further fueling the feeling of mystery.

Watching over the lake are the ruins of Urquhart Castle, which, strategically located, controls the navigation of this region of valleys and lakes known as the Great Glen. In the visitor center a film explains the history of the castle and how it continually changed owners between Scots and English. In 1691 the castle was burned by the English to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Jacobite defenders of the House of Stuart. Although they say that the Castle is where the lake monster has been seen most times, Urquhart is not exempt from having its own legend because they say that among its ruins there are two hidden rooms, one that houses a treasure and the other a plague.

Geographic and geological features

Loch Ness is part of the Great Glen or Glen Mor as it is known in Gaelic, which extends from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south and is made up of a series of lakes, the three most important being Loch Lochy. , the Oich and Loch Ness.

Loch Ness is of tectonic origin. About 500 million years ago, earthquakes opened the Earth’s crust, forming a crack which, after the Ice Age, filled with water, thus forming Loch Ness. Earthquakes can still be felt around the lake today, the last one occurred in December 1997. The hills surrounding the lake continue to rise 1mm per year. The lake is connected to the Caledonian Canal which was built by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford, its construction took 19 years and it opened in 1822.

• Loch Ness is the largest in Britain.
• It has an extension of approximately 36 km and between 1.6 km and 2.4 km. Wide
• Depth: 786 feet (approx.240m)
• It has 263 billion cubic feet of fresh water.
• It is fed by 7 rivers: the Oich, Tarff, Enrich, Coiltie, Moriston, Foyers and Farigaig and many streams and has only one outfall the River Ness which runs 7 miles through Inverness to empty into the Moray Estuary 52 feet below of the lake level.
• Loch Ness never freezes.
• During the rainy season, the lake level rises about 7 feet. (2.1m)
• The water temperature varies. The first 100 feet (30 m) of water changes temperature depending on external weather conditions, but below 100 feet, the water is warm. This produces steam on very cold days.
• The area is still seismically active today and suffers an average of 4 earthquakes per century that reach density 4 on the Richter Scale. The last ones occurred in 1888, 1890, 1901 and 1997. The strongest recorded locally was in 1816 which was felt across much of Scotland.
• It is one of the most visited places in Scotland. Approximately 4,000,000 tourists arrive each year.
• Its waters are cloudy due to the presence of peat and sediment.