Dunalastair Water
Encyclopedia
Dunalastair Water is an entirely man made reservoir in Scotland
which lies between Loch Rannoch
and Loch Tummel
in Strath Tummel
in Perth and Kinross
council area. The loch provides water power for the Tummel hydroelectricity
power station and has the reputation as one of the best wild trout
fishing
locations in the United Kingdom
.
. The reservoir is narrow at its head, taking the form of a slender wooded glen with the Dunalastair
estate situated on the northern bank. The reservoir has roads running on both its northern and southern shores, the B846, which is the road between Pitlochry
and Rannoch railway station
runs on the northern shore while a minor road from Kinloch Rannoch
runs on its southern side. The Water is hemmed in by high ground to the north and south, with Beinn a' Chuallaich
to the north and Schiehallion
to the south.
The dam itself is 65 metres wide and has two floodgates and several spillways due to the quantity of water which sometimes needs to be released Into the River Tummel. The main purpose of the dam is to act as an intake which supplies water to an open 15 metre wide concrete aqueduct that runs to the south of the River Tummel. The aqueduct flows for five km losing very little height, keeping to the 200 metre contour before feeding the Tummel hydroelectricity power station at the head of Loch Tummel
through two large pipes.
, Willow Warbler
, Bittern
, Grey Heron
, Egret
, Kinglet
and Goldcrest
. Dunalastair Water is a first-rate venue for fishing with the shallow waters warming quickly and generating good feeding for the fish and providing a huge variety of insect life. There are some very large Brown trout
which inhabit the water and feed mainly at night. Fishing is strictly from boats and outboard motors are banned. The dam incorporates a fish ladder
this is of the pool and weir design and consists of 18 pools.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
which lies between Loch Rannoch
Loch Rannoch
Loch Rannoch is a large body of fresh water in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.The loch is over long in a west-east direction with an average width of about . The River Tummel begins at its eastern end. The Tay Forest Park lies along its southern shore...
and Loch Tummel
Loch Tummel
Loch Tummel is a long, narrow loch, 7 kilometres north west of Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross, Scotland .-Geography:The loch is approximately 11 kilometres long from east to west, and is just under 1 kilometre wide...
in Strath Tummel
River Tummel
The River Tummel is a river in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Discharging from Loch Rannoch, it flows east to a point near the Falls of Tummel, where it bends to the southeast, a direction which it maintains until it falls into the River Tay, just below Logierait, after a course of from its source...
in Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
council area. The loch provides water power for the Tummel hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power station and has the reputation as one of the best wild trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fishing
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
locations in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Overview
Dunalastair Water lies at the approximate grid reference of it has an area of 165 hectares, being 2.5 km long and 800 metres wide at its broadest point. It was formed by the damming of the River Tummel by the Grampian Electric Supply Company in 1933 as part of the Tummel hydro-electric power schemeTummel hydro-electric power scheme
The Tummel hydro-electric power scheme for the generation of hydro-electric power is located in the Grampian Mountains, between Loch Ericht, Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.-References: – PDF file-External links:*...
. The reservoir is narrow at its head, taking the form of a slender wooded glen with the Dunalastair
Dunalastair
Dunalastair is an estate in the southern part of the Highlands, in Perthshire, Scotland...
estate situated on the northern bank. The reservoir has roads running on both its northern and southern shores, the B846, which is the road between Pitlochry
Pitlochry
Pitlochry , is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. Its population according to the 2001 census was 2,564....
and Rannoch railway station
Rannoch railway station
Rannoch railway station, on the West Highland Line, serves the area of Rannoch in Perth and Kinross. Its remote location on Rannoch Moor is picturesque and makes it attractive to walkers...
runs on the northern shore while a minor road from Kinloch Rannoch
Kinloch Rannoch
Kinloch Rannoch is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, at the eastern end of Loch Rannoch, 18 miles west of Pitlochry, on the banks of the River Tummel.The village is a tourist and outdoor pursuits centre...
runs on its southern side. The Water is hemmed in by high ground to the north and south, with Beinn a' Chuallaich
Beinn a' Chuallaich
Beinn a’ Chuallaich is a Scottish hill located at co-ordinates , four km NE of the village of Kinloch Rannoch in the Perth and Kinross council area. It is part of the high ground between Strath Tummel and Glen Errochty.-Overview:...
to the north and Schiehallion
Schiehallion
Schiehallion is a prominent mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Schiehallion has a rich botanical life, interesting archaeology, and a unique place in scientific history for an 18th-century experiment in 'weighing the world'...
to the south.
The dam itself is 65 metres wide and has two floodgates and several spillways due to the quantity of water which sometimes needs to be released Into the River Tummel. The main purpose of the dam is to act as an intake which supplies water to an open 15 metre wide concrete aqueduct that runs to the south of the River Tummel. The aqueduct flows for five km losing very little height, keeping to the 200 metre contour before feeding the Tummel hydroelectricity power station at the head of Loch Tummel
Loch Tummel
Loch Tummel is a long, narrow loch, 7 kilometres north west of Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross, Scotland .-Geography:The loch is approximately 11 kilometres long from east to west, and is just under 1 kilometre wide...
through two large pipes.
Biology
Dunalastair Water is a shallow reservoir, having an average depth of only 1.5 metres and this provides unique biological conditions for birds with the site around the Water being declared a SSSI over an area of 241.6 hectares. Among the birds which can be seen on the site are Old World warblerOld World warbler
The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into...
, Willow Warbler
Willow Warbler
The Willow Warbler is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia...
, Bittern
Bittern
Bitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family...
, Grey Heron
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
, Egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
, Kinglet
Kinglet
The kinglets or crests are a small group of birds sometimes included in the Old World warblers, but are frequently given family status because they also resemble the titmice. The scientific name Regulidae is derived from the Latin word regulus for "petty king" or prince, and comes from the...
and Goldcrest
Goldcrest
The Goldcrest, Regulus regulus, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers gives rise to its English and scientific names, and possibly to it being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore. Several subspecies are recognised across the very...
. Dunalastair Water is a first-rate venue for fishing with the shallow waters warming quickly and generating good feeding for the fish and providing a huge variety of insect life. There are some very large Brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
which inhabit the water and feed mainly at night. Fishing is strictly from boats and outboard motors are banned. The dam incorporates a fish ladder
Fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
this is of the pool and weir design and consists of 18 pools.