Loch Oich
Loch Oich is a freshwater loch lying within the great gash of the Great Glen in Inverness-shire. It is one of the string of long lochs along the glen, the narrowest of the three, with Loch Ness to the north-east and Loch Lochy to the south-west.
The name of the loch is from the Gaelic language, in which it is named Loch Omhaich.
Loch Oich is fed by the River Garry (from Loch Garry) from the west, and feeds the River Oich from its north end. The Laggan locks separate it from Loch Lochy.
The loch provides part of the course of the Caledonian Canal, of which it is the highest point.[1]
Thomas Telford artificially raised the level of the loch by many feet to provide a navigable channel for the canal.[2]
Fish and wildlife
The Loch Oich wildlife is rich with a wide variety of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Every autumn, Atlantic salmon migrate from the sea using Loch Oich, Loch Lochy and Loch Ness as their spawning nests. After two years, when the fingerling are up to 9 inches long, they migrate back to the sea where they grow rapidly and weigh from 3 lb 8 oz – 2 stone 8 lbs after two years.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Loch Oich) |
- Location map: 57°4’1"N, 4°46’59"W
- 1903 Map from the National Library of Scotland
- Loch Oich and swing bridge
References
| The Great Glen, Inverness-shire, west to east | ||
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Loch Linnhe • Caledonian Canal • Loch Lochy • Loch Oich • Loch Ness • River Ness |
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