Rescobie Loch is a post glacial fresh water body located in the Parish of Rescobie, 4 km (2.5 mi) to the East of Forfar

Forfar

Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...

, in the county of Angus

Angus

Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...

, Scotland

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...

. The loch

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...

 is fed by Lunan Water

Lunan Water

The Lunan Water is an easterly flowing river in Angus, Scotland, that discharges to the North Sea north of the town of Arbroath. Draining chiefly agricultural lands, this stream has a moderate level of turbidity and a pH level of approximately 8.7. Other nearby watercourses discharging to the...

 which enters from the West and exits to the East.

History

Rescobie’s name may have originated from the Scottish Gaelic “Ros Sgolban” meaning "the wood of splinters or thorns“. Historically it has also been referred to as Rosolpin, Roscolpin, Roscolbyn, Roscoby and Rescobis.
Historically Rescobie's importance far exceeded its present day status.

Rescobie Loch is believed to be the location of Rescobie Castle also referred to as Barnsdale Castle.
There is no trace of the castle today.

In 1097 King Donald III of Scotland

Donald III of Scotland

Domnall mac Donnchada , anglicised as Donald III, and nicknamed Domnall Bán, "Donald the Fair" , was King of Scots from 1093–1094 and 1094–1097...

 was dethroned and held captive in Rescobie Castle where his brother Edgar blinded him in both eyes. He died in 1099 and was buried initially at Dunkeld Catheral before being finally laid to rest at the Scottish Island of Iona

Iona

Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...

 and was the last of the early Scottish Kings to be buried there.

Biodiversity

Rescobie Loch together with its neighbour, Balgavies Loch, have been classified as a Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 (SSSI code 1345) and as such are protected and monitored. It is a diverse habitat for both wildlife and plants.

Fishing

In the early 1960s the Recobie Loch Development Association was formed to manage and run the fishing. Only fly fishing

Fly fishing

Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...

 is allowed from either bank or boat and the loch is regularly stocked with Rainbow Trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

 and Brown Trout

Brown trout

The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....

.