An Lochan Uaine is a small freshwater

loch ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...

in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

council area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Etymology

''Lochan Uaine'' can be translated from

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

as ''Green Tarn''. According to local legends, the green color of its water is caused by the

fairies A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

who wash their green clothes in the loch.

Geography

The loch is located at an elevation of about NE of

Loch Morlich Loch Morlich (Scottish Gaelic, ''Loch Mhùrlaig'') is a freshwater loch in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland near Aviemore. The loch is home to a watersports centre with kayaking, sailing and windsurfi ...

. Its length is . It lies at the foot of the Eastern flanks of the Greag Nan Gall (622 m). The lake is considered by

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

s a good example of a

morainic A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

tarn.

Nature conservation

The loch is included in the

Glenmore Forest Park Glenmore Forest Park is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest near Aviemore in the Badenoch and Strathspey district of Highland, Scotland. Owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, it lies within the Cairngorms National Park, and is one of s ...

, not faraway from its visitor centre, and in the

Cairngorms National Park Cairngorms National Park ( gd, Pàirc Nàiseanta a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh) is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Tro ...

Hiking

The lake can be reached from

with an easy walk, starting from the Glenmore Forest visitor centre; walking a little more is possible to touch the Ryvoan Pass too, at the end of the glen. The hike is considered very suitable also for children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uaine Lochs of Highland (council area) Freshwater lochs of Scotland