Loch Assynt
| Loch Assynt | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | Sutherland, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 58°10′30″N 5°02′30″W / 58.17500°N 5.04167°WCoordinates: 58°10′30″N 5°02′30″W / 58.17500°N 5.04167°W |
| Type | natural |
| Primary outflows | Inver river |
| Catchment area | 69 km2 (27 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | United Kingdom |
| Max. length | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Max. width | 1 km (0.62 mi) |
| Surface area | 800 ha (2,000 acres) |
| Max. depth | 86 m (282 ft) |
| Water volume | 247.2 cubic hectometres (200,400 acre·ft) |
| Surface elevation | 66 m (217 ft) |
Loch Assynt (Loch Asaint in Scottish Gaelic) is a freshwater loch in Sutherland, Scotland, 8 km ENE of Lochinver.
Situated in a spectacular setting between the heights of Canisp, Quinag and Beinn Uidhe, it receives the outflow from Lochs Awe, Maol a' Choire, and Leitir Easaich. It discharges into the sea at Loch Inver, via the river Inver. The general trend of the loch is west-north-west and east-south-east, while the western end bends sharply at Loch Assynt lodge to the south-west.
The loch is 9.65 kilometres (6.0 mi) long, and about 1.5 kilometres (0.9 mi) in maximum breadth. The total area is approximately 800 hectares (1,977 acres) and its drainage basin is over 111 square kilometres (43 sq mi). The total volume of water contained in the loch is estimated at 247,231,697 cubic metres (8.730904983×109 cu ft) and the maximum depth is 86 metres (282 ft).
There is excellent fishing for trout, sea-trout, and salmon. Ardvreck Castle, once held by the MacLeods and Mackenzies, occupies a promontory on the north shore, west of Inchnadamph.
The elevation of the loch's surface above sea level varies with the levels of rainfall but has been measured as 65.55 metres (215.1 ft).
The western end of Loch Assynt with Quinag in the distance
Loch Assynt from Cnoc an Lochain Fheoir
Whispered amongst the locals of Inchnadamph, the area surrounding the castle, legend tells of MacLeod's lost daughter, Eimhir, and her continued presence at Loch Assynt. Instead of jumping to her death, they believe Eimhir plunged into the caverns of the Loch and, hiding from the devil to whom she was promised, made a new home beneath the water's surface, becoming the elusive 'mermaid of Assynt'.
The locals also use this legend to account for natural changes in the landscape. When the loch's water rise above their normal levels, legend tells that these are Eimhir's tears mourning her life lost on the land. Some even claim to have sighted her weeping on the rocks, her body now transformed into half woman, half sea creature. Some contest her form, instead calling her Selkie, the Nordic mythological figure of the sea, who must first shed tears into the water in order to become visible again to the human eye.
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Wikipedia