Loch Ken
Encyclopedia
Loch Ken is 9-mile long freshwater loch
in Dumfries and Galloway
, Scotland
. It lies in the Glenkens, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken
and from the west by the Dee
. It continues as the Dee south from Glenlochar
, where the water is held back by the Glenlochar Barrage. Part of the Galloway hydro-electric power scheme
, the barrage regulates the river's flow.
Villages around Loch Ken include Glenlochar at the south, Lauriston and Mossdale on the west side of the loch, and Crossmichael and Parton
on the east. The village of New Galloway
lies one mile to its north. The parish church of Balmaghie
is also by the loch.
Loch Ken is used recreationally for water skiing, fishing, and sailing, with Glenlaggan Lodges and Loch Ken Marina catering to visitors.
A railway viaduct, once part of the Portpatrick Railway
crosses the loch at Boat o' Rhone, but is now disused.
Loch Ken and River Dee Marshes was designated a Ramsar site on August 21, 1992.
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 Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, 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...
. It lies in the Glenkens, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken
Water of Ken
The Water of Ken is a river in Galloway, south-west Scotland. It rises on Blacklorg Hill, north-east of Cairnsmore of Carsphairn in the Carsphairn hills, and flows south-westward into the Glenkens valley, passing through Carsfad and Earlstoun lochs, both of which are dammed to supply the Galloway...
and from the west by the Dee
River Dee, Galloway
The River Dee, in south-west Scotland, flows from its source in Loch Dee amongst the Galloway Hills, firstly to Clatteringshaws Loch, then in to Loch Ken, where it joins the Water of Ken. From there, the Dee flows southwards to Kirkcudbright, and into Kirkcudbright Bay to reach the Solway. The...
. It continues as the Dee south from Glenlochar
Glenlochar
Glenlochar is a small hamlet on the western bank of the River Dee in the parish of Balmaghie, Dumfries and Galloway. Glenlochar is located one and a half miles south of Balmaghie Kirk and three miles north of Castle Douglas....
, where the water is held back by the Glenlochar Barrage. Part of the Galloway hydro-electric power scheme
Galloway hydro-electric power scheme
The Galloway hydro-electric power scheme is a network of dams and hydro-electric power stations in Galloway, south west Scotland. It was built between 1930 and 1936....
, the barrage regulates the river's flow.
Villages around Loch Ken include Glenlochar at the south, Lauriston and Mossdale on the west side of the loch, and Crossmichael and Parton
Parton, Galloway
Parton is a village situated on the banks of the River Dee in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.Prominent mathematical physicist James Clerk Maxwell lived at the nearby Glenlair House. He was famous for developing formulae governing electricity and magnetism as well as the Maxwell distribution in...
on the east. The village of New Galloway
New Galloway
New Galloway is a town in Dumfries and Galloway Region, southwest Scotland. It lies on the west side of the valley of the Water of Ken, a mile north of the end of Loch Ken...
lies one mile to its north. The parish church of Balmaghie
Balmaghie
Balmaghie , from the Scottish Gaelic Baile Mac Aoidh, is a civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland and was the seat of the McGhee family. It is bordered by the River Dee to the north and east...
is also by the loch.
Loch Ken is used recreationally for water skiing, fishing, and sailing, with Glenlaggan Lodges and Loch Ken Marina catering to visitors.
A railway viaduct, once part of the Portpatrick Railway
Portpatrick Railway
The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway, often known as the Port Road, was a railway in south-west Scotland, which linked Dumfries, via Castle Douglas, with the port towns of Portpatrick and Stranraer...
crosses the loch at Boat o' Rhone, but is now disused.
Loch Ken and River Dee Marshes was designated a Ramsar site on August 21, 1992.