Loch Lomond
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Loch Lomond (IPA pronunciation: ['lomənd]), (Scottish Gaelic Loch Laomainn) is a Scottish loch located in both the western lowlands of Central Scotland and the southern Highlands. It is located in the council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute, and West Dunbartonshire, and its southern shores lie approximately 14 miles (23 km) north of Glasgow, the country's largest city.
This freshwater loch is approximately 37 kilometres long, and up to 8 kilometres wide, with an average depth of about 37 metres, and a maximum depth of about 190 metres. It has a surface area of approximately 71 square kilometres, and a volume of about 2.6 km3. Its surface area is the largest of the lochs, and is second biggest after Loch Ness in terms of water volume in Great Britain, although it is not the largest in the British Isles - this distinction belongs to Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.
The loch is now (since July 2002) part of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The West Highland Way runs along the eastern bank of the loch.
The loch famously features in Andrew Lang's verse, The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond, published around 1876. The chorus is well known:
- Oh, ye'll tak the high road, and I'll tak the low road,
- And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
- But me and my true love will never meet again
- On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
Ben Lomond is on the eastern shore. It is 974 metres in height and is the most southerly of the Scottish Munro peaks.
The loch contains a large number of islands, several of them quite large by the standards of British lochs/lakes, including Inchmurrin, the largest island in a loch/lake in the British Isles. As with Loch Tay, several of the islands appear to be Crannogs, artificial islands built in prehistoric periods. There is currently a project to build another island like it in Loch Ness.
Today, the loch is also well known for the Loch Lomond Golf Club which lies next to it, and which has hosted international events.
Trivia
- In the Tintin series of cartoon books, Captain Haddock's and Snowy's favourite drink is Scotch whisky of the brand Loch Lomond. This was a fictional creation; there is, however, a real Loch Lomond Distillery. [link]
- The village of Luss ("Glendarroch"), on the shores of the loch was the location for the TV soap Take the High Road, and the loch itself was given the fictional name "Loch Darroch" for the purpose of the series.
- In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, Loch Lomond was named as the 6th greatest natural wonder in Britain.
- In 1987 Mel Brooks movie Spaceballs, the character "Snotty" makes a mistake using a transporter beam. While pressing buttons in an attempt to fix his error, he says, "It could be the interlocking system...lock one, lock two, lock three, Loch Lomond!"
- Loch Lomond is featured in the song "Almost Like Being In Love" from the Lerner and Lowe musical, Brigadoon. The opening lyrics are: Maybe the sun gave me the power/I could swim Loch Lomond and be home in half an hour/Maybe the air gave me the drive/I feel all aglow and alive!"
External links
- [Loch Lomond and tourist attractions]
- [Loch-lomond.net] (with [physical data])
- [StayatLochLomond.com - Local accommodation providers network]
- [About the national park]
- [Robert Burns (poet) Links to Loch Lomond]
- [Loch Lomond Sailing Club]
Other meanings
There is also a Loch Lomond reservoir near the village of Ben Lomond, California in the Santa Cruz Mountains of the USA. The reservoir is 175 acres (0.7 km²). Boating, fishing, picnicing and hiking are popular at the reservoir. No swimming is allowed. The reservoir is open to the public from March 1 to September 15. [Loch Lomond official site.]
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