Loch Garry
Loch Garry is a freshwater loch in Inverness-shire, 15 miles north of Fort William. It is seven miles long and 165 ft deep. It is fed by waters from Loch Quoich six miles upstream on the River Garry, and drains into Loch Oich in the Great Glen just three miles downstream. Loch Garry is much photographed from the A87 for its romantic setting and also because a quirk of perspective makes it appear like a map of Scotland.
Both lochs have been dammed for hydro-electric generation, with the dam on Loch Quoich being the largest rockfill dam in Scotland at 1,050 ft long and 125 ft high. Water is fed by tunnel to the two power stations each producing 20MW, and the scheme was completed in 1962.
The Glen used to be home of the Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry, but since the Highland Clearances the population has been reduced to a handful of estates. The main activities are deerstalking and forestry, with little tourism apart from munro-baggers seeking some spectacularly remote mountains at the head of the glen. The lonely road along the north side of Loch Garry continues past Loch Quoich to Kinlochhourn from where a footpath continues to Knoydart.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Loch Garry) |
- Location map: 57°4’60"N, 4°55’0"W