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 Go Loch Ness - Go Deeper  

Loch Ness

2007 Concise Encyclopedia. Related subjects: Geography of Great Britain

Loch Ness

Loch Ness (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Nis) is a large, deep freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands ( 57°18′N 4°27′W) extending for approximately 37 km (23 miles) southwest of Inverness. The Loch's surface is 15.8 metres above sea level.

Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster ("Nessie"), although it is scenic in its own right. Boat cruises operate from various locations along its shores giving tourists the chance to look for the monster.

Loch Ness is the largest body of water on the geologic fault known as the Great Glen, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south. The Caledonian Canal, which links the sea at either end of the Great Glen, uses Loch Ness for part of its route.

The loch is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland. Quite large, Loch Ness has exceptionally low water visibility due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil. It is the second deepest loch in Scotland, and the UK.

Loch Ness, with Urquhart Castle in the foreground.
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Loch Ness, with Urquhart Castle in the foreground.

Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56.4 km2 (21.8 sq mi) but due to its extreme depth is the largest by volume. The loch contains more fresh water than all that in England and Wales combined. At its deepest part, 226 m (740 feet), London's BT Tower at 189 m (620 feet) would be completely submerged.

Locks on Caledonian Canal in Fort Augustus, Loch Ness in the background
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Locks on Caledonian Canal in Fort Augustus, Loch Ness in the background

It also acts as the lower storage reservoir for the Foyers pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, which was the first of its kind in Britain. The turbines were originally used to provide power for a nearby mill, but now electricity is generated and supplied to the National Grid.

At its southwestern end, near Fort Augustus, one can see the only island on Loch Ness. Cherry Island is an example of a Crannog ( artificial islands generally from the Iron Age).

At Drumnadrochit there is a Loch Ness Monster exhibition centre, which contains information on the legendary creature.

Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ness"

Selected Articles
WIN monster fun on banks of Loch Ness; TWO NIGHT HOTEL BREAK FOR FAMILY OF FOUR.(Competition/Offers)
Loch Ness is one of Scotland's most outstanding year-rou...break. We've teamed up with Destination Loch Ness to give two lucky readers two nights' accommodation...Drumnadrochit Hotel. Staying near the banks of Loch Ness is the perfect base to explore the area...
December 30, 2007; Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland)

A monster attraction; At this time of year monster seekers descend on Loch Ness. Oliver Bennett took his daughter to join the hunt - and avoid the people carriers.
...A82 that snakes along the side of Loch Ness is a road to be travelled carefully...something'. That's the way it is at Loch Ness, the most famous lake in the world...a spooky, captivating atmosphere. Loch Ness feels as if it has a secret. Something...
June 12, 2002; The Daily Mail (London, England)

Five-star lodge retreat opens on the shores of Loch Ness
...which has opened on the shores of Loch Ness will bring a "significant boost...claimed yesterday. The newly opened Loch Ness Lodge, nine miles south-west of Inverness...Sutherland, partner in the seven-bedroom Loch Ness Lodge, said: "Loch Ness is arguably...
December 18, 2007; Press and Journal, The Aberdeen (UK)

High-tech fleet hunts Loch Ness monster
...biggest fling yet for fans of the Loch Ness Monster. It happens Friday through...days of sweeping the dark waters of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, the mystery...sponsoring the expedition along with the Loch Ness Exhibition Center, which maintains...
October 7, 1987; Chicago Sun-Times

Nessie still a big draw at the loch Amid world-class scenery, Loch Ness holds intrigue for those who like mystery
I was on the banks of Loch Ness the other morning, sunning my long...evidence that what I saw were five Loch Ness monsters as opposed, say, to five...and rivers are reputed to harbor Loch Ness-type monsters, while sea serpents...
September 28, 1997; The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

FLIGHT OF THE HUNTER His photographs of the Loch Ness Monster sold thousands of papers in the Seventies, only to be later debunked. But what turned Frank Searle from an honest Nessie hunter into a fraud and a fake? Vicky Allan delves into a world of monstrous beasts, an obsessed public and a lochside mystery. . .
...his caravan on the South bank of Loch Ness there were many rumours about him...left, " recalls Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Project, "to the regret of no one...loch, seemed more elusive than the Loch Ness monster itself. In the history of...
December 4, 2005; The Sunday Herald

Loch Ness group bids for world heritage status Securing World Heritage Site status for Loch Ness could net an pounds80million boost for the local economy.
Securing World Heritage Site status for Loch Ness could net an pounds80million boost...and the Great Pyramids. Destination Loch Ness (DLN), the organisation behind the...We believe it is a realistic aim. "Loch Ness is known for its legend and monster...
June 1, 2007; Press and Journal, The Aberdeen (UK)

Elephantine Theory Stirs Misty Waters of Loch Ness
So maybe the Loch Ness monster was actually a circus elephant...6th century, a "monster" was reported in Loch Ness in northern Scotland; Saint Columba is...and "would have stopped on the banks of Loch Ness to allow their animals to rest." At Loch...
March 8, 2006; The Washington Post

Scientist says Nessie may be elephant: Traveling circus passed by Loch Ness at time of highest monster sightings
LONDON - So maybe the Loch Ness monster was actually a circus elephant...century, a "monster" was reported in Loch Ness in northern Scotland; Saint Columba...would have stopped on the banks of Loch Ness to allow their animals to rest...
March 8, 2006; Charleston Daily Mail

Look! There is something in Loch Ness
...stretch of water. "Do I believe in the Loch Ness monster?" he asks, rhetorically...68.50 to search the waters aboard Loch Ness One, the country's first public submarine...Alan Whitfield, pilot and owner of Loch Ness One. "Why not? As a diver, I've come...
June 27, 1994; The Independent - London



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