Loch Beannach, Assynt

Loch Beannach is a small v-shaped loch, located 2 miles to the west of Loch Assynt and 3 miles northeast of Lochinver within the Assynt area of Sutherland, Scotland.[3][2] [1] The loch is located in an area known as the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area,[4] one of 40 such areas in Scotland.[5]

Loch Beannach, Assynt
Loch Beannach in the Little Assynt Estate. Native woodland survives on the islands
Loch Beannach, Assynt is located in Sutherland
Loch Beannach, Assynt
Loch Beannach, Assynt
LocationNC13852637
Coordinates58.18889999°N 5.16194439°W / 58.18889999; -5.16194439
Typefreshwater loch
Max. length2.00 km (1.24 mi)[1]
Max. width0.53 km (0.33 mi)[1]
Surface area49 ha (120 acres)[2]
Average depth13.45 ft (4.10 m)[1]
Max. depth32 ft (9.8 m)[1]
Water volume70,883,210.58 cu ft (2,007,189.000 m3)[1]
Shore length1100 km (62 mi) [2]
Surface elevation68 m (223 ft)[2]
Max. temperature52.5 °F (11.4 °C)
Min. temperature52.00 °F (11.11 °C)
Islands21
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Conservation

The northeastern part of the loch is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[6] The specific area covered are the Downy Birch woodland on eight islands within the loch.[6] The woodland is a prime example of the type that would have covered the area extensively in the past.[6] The area of the site SSSI overlaps with the areas general Assynt Lochs SSSI,[7] that is notable for its population of black-throated divers where the loch is one of the nesting sites for this species.[6] The Loch is also a nesting site for Common Gull, European golden plover Meadow Pipit. Red Grouse, Skylark, Swallow, Wheatear.[2] The lilly Nuphar pumila grows around the loch.[2]

Township

To the east of the loch is a former crofting township that was cleared during the 19th Century.[8] Its name was never discovered.[8] It consists of 11 former crofts, consisting of sizes of 3.0m by 2.0m to 16.0m by 5.0m in two groups.[8] The evidence for lazy bed cultivation is still visible.[8] On the stream that issues from Loch an t- Sabhail are the remains of a corn-mill and a dam further upstream.[8]

Geography

Loch Beannach flows along a unnamed stream into Loch Bad nan Aighean directly south.[9] The ground around the loch is hummocky with stretches of peat bog and water lying between bare rocky knolls.[10]

Directly to the north-west, the loch is overlooked by the triple peak's of Quinag.

References
  1. John, Murray; Lawrence, Pullar (1910). Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909 Lochs of the Tay Basin Volume II - Loch Beannach. National Library of Scotland: National Challenger Officer. p. 153. Retrieved 1 June 2021.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. "Beannach". Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  3. Gittings, Bruce; Munro, David. "Loch Beannach". The Gazetteer for Scotland. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  4. "Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area". NatureScot. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  5. "National Scenic Areas". NatureScot. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  6. "Loch Beannach Islands". SSSI Register. Register of Scotland. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  7. "Assynt Lochs". SSSI Register. Register of Scotland. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  8. "Loch Beannach". Canmore National Record of the Historic Environment. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  9. The Scottish Geographical Magazine. Royal Scottish Geographical Society. 1904. p. 170. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  10. Dryburgh, P M; Ross, S M; Thompson, C L (2014). AssyntThe geologists' Mecca (PDF) (2nd ed.). AssyntThe geologists’ Meccaby P M Dryburgh, S M Ross and C L Thompson2nd edition 2014Edinburgh Geological Society. ISBN 978-0-904440-13-3.
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