Loch Mhòr
Encyclopedia
Loch Mhòr is a loch in the traditional county of Inverness-shire
in the Scottish Highlands
. It occupies much of the wide floor of Stratherrick
which runs roughly parallel to Loch Ness
around 3mi / 5km to its southeast. A generally shallow body of water, Loch Mhòr achieves a depth in excess of 20m towards its southern end. Loch Mhòr was originally two separate lochs, Loch Garth in the southwest and Loch Farraline in the northeast. The water level was raised, so it could be used as a reservoir for the hydro-electric scheme and aluminium smelter at Foyers
. This joined the two lochs into one, though they are still divided by a causeway carrying a minor road. In its middle reaches, a broad and shallow embayment on its southeastern shore contains a scatter of islets.
The main rivers into the Loch are the River E
, and some of the flow of the River Fechlin, which has been diverted through an aqueduct.
The waters of the loch empty as the River Gourag below a dam at its southwestern end. This short river joins the River Foyers which empties into Loch Ness.
Inverness-shire
The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. It occupies much of the wide floor of Stratherrick
Stratherrick
Stratherrick is a strath, a wide and shallow valley, situated above the south-eastern shore of Loch Ness, in the Scottish Highlands, Scotland. Much of the strath is covered by Loch Mhòr...
which runs roughly parallel to 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"...
around 3mi / 5km to its southeast. A generally shallow body of water, Loch Mhòr achieves a depth in excess of 20m towards its southern end. Loch Mhòr was originally two separate lochs, Loch Garth in the southwest and Loch Farraline in the northeast. The water level was raised, so it could be used as a reservoir for the hydro-electric scheme and aluminium smelter at Foyers
Foyers
Foyers is the name of a village in the Highland local government council area of Scotland, lying on the east shore of Loch Ness...
. This joined the two lochs into one, though they are still divided by a causeway carrying a minor road. In its middle reaches, a broad and shallow embayment on its southeastern shore contains a scatter of islets.
The main rivers into the Loch are the River E
River E
The River E is a river in the Highlands of Scotland. It begins in the north-west of the Monadh Liath, to the south-east of Loch Ness. It runs in a north-westerly direction for about 10 km, before flowing into Loch Mhòr....
, and some of the flow of the River Fechlin, which has been diverted through an aqueduct.
The waters of the loch empty as the River Gourag below a dam at its southwestern end. This short river joins the River Foyers which empties into Loch Ness.