Loch Oich
Encyclopedia
Loch Oich is a freshwater loch
in the Highlands of Scotland which forms part of the Caledonian Canal
, of which it is the highest point. This narrow loch lies between Loch Ness
(to the Northeast) and Loch Lochy
(to the Southwest) in the Great Glen
. It 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 Oich wildlife is rich with a wide variety of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Every autumn the Atlantic salmon
(Salmo salar) migrates from the sea using Loch Oich, Loch Lochy and Loch Ness as their spawning nests. After two years when the fingerling are up to 20 cm long they migrate back to the sea where they grow rapidly and weigh from 3,5 – 17 kg after two years.
Thomas Telford
artificially raised the level of the loch by many feet to provide a navigable channel for the Caledonian Canal.
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
in the Highlands of Scotland which forms part of the Caledonian Canal
Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
, of which it is the highest point. This narrow loch lies between Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
(to the Northeast) and Loch Lochy
Loch Lochy
Loch Lochy is a large freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. With a mean depth of , it is the third deepest loch of Scotland.-Geography:...
(to the Southwest) in the Great Glen
Great Glen
The Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
. It is fed by the River Garry (from Loch Garry
Loch Garry
Loch Garry, , is 25 km north of Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland, and is 11 km long and 50 m deep. It is fed by waters from Loch Quoich 10 km upstream on the River Garry, and drains into Loch Oich in the Great Glen just 5 km downstream...
) from the West, and feeds the River Oich from its North end. The Laggan
Laggan, Great Glen
Laggan is a village in the Great Glen, in the Highland region of Scotland.-Geography:It is on the main A82 road alongside the Caledonian Canal between Loch Lochy and Loch Oich. It gives its name to the Laggan locks and the Laggan swing bridge where the road crosses the canal....
locks separate it from Loch Lochy.
The Loch Oich wildlife is rich with a wide variety of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Every autumn the Atlantic salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
(Salmo salar) migrates from the sea using Loch Oich, Loch Lochy and Loch Ness as their spawning nests. After two years when the fingerling are up to 20 cm long they migrate back to the sea where they grow rapidly and weigh from 3,5 – 17 kg after two years.
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
artificially raised the level of the loch by many feet to provide a navigable channel for the Caledonian Canal.