Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a
sea loch off the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
and forms part of the coast of the
Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It extends inland from the
Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs in Scotland. It is connected to the
Sound of Jura
The Sound of Jura () is a strait in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is one of the several Sounds of Scotland.
It is to the east of the island of Jura and to the west of Knapdale, part of a peninsula of the Scottish mainland. The Crinan Canal' ...
by the
Crinan Canal. Although there is no evidence that grapes have grown there, the title is probably honorific, indicating that the river, (river Fyne), was a well-respected river.
In the north the terrain is mountainous, with the
Arrochar Alps
The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The mountains are especially popular ...
, ,
Glen Shira,
Glen Fyne
A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...
,
Glen Croe,
Arrochar,
Tyndrum and
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...
nearby.
It is overlooked by
the Tinkers' Heart, an old
travellers' monument. It was a place for weddings to traditionally take place.
Transport
Roads
The loch has several roads surrounding it. The
A83 goes round the head of the loch then travels down the west coast of Loch Fyne, from
Ardrishaig to
Tarbert along the
Knapdale coast. Leaving the A83 north of
Cairndow the
A815 travels down the east shore of Loch Fyne along the
Cowal peninsula coast to
Strachur, where to continue down the east shore the
A886 leads to
Newton. Where you turn off onto the
B8000 which carries on down the east shore to
Millhouse, where you can go to
Portavadie or
Kames (direct) or via the
Ardlamont peninsula, a longer route to Kames.
Ferries
At the mouth of Loch Fyne between
Portavadie on the
Cowal peninsula, on the east shore of the loch. A
vehicle ferry
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...
traverses the loch to
Tarbert on the
Kintyre
Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...
peninsula on the west shore.
Crinan Canal
The
Crinan Canal connects Loch Fyne at
Ardrishaig and the
Sound of Jura
The Sound of Jura () is a strait in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is one of the several Sounds of Scotland.
It is to the east of the island of Jura and to the west of Knapdale, part of a peninsula of the Scottish mainland. The Crinan Canal' ...
at the hamlet of
Crinan Crinan is a name of Gaelic origin and it has a number of contexts:
* Crinan, Argyll
Crinan ( gd, An Crìonan) is a small village located on the west coast of Scotland in the region known as Knapdale, which is part of Argyll and Bute.
Before the ...
itself, giving a shortcut for smaller vessels out to the
Hebrides
The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebr ...
saving the longer route of going around the
Kintyre
Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...
peninsula. The canal was built between 1794 and 1801 when the canal was opened, under the supervision of
John Rennie. In 1816
Thomas Telford redesigned parts of the canal to remedy technical issues with water supplies for the canal. There are fifteen
locks
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
along the canal's length.
History
World War Two
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, HMS Quebec (a shore establishment) also known as the "No 1" Combined Operations Training Centre (CTC) was centred a few miles south of Inveraray and used the shores of the Loch Fyne and surrounding coastline. It trained personnel in the techniques involved in the use of landing craft and the setting up of a beachhead. The No1 CTC was manned and trained personnel from all three services, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Army, troops of the allies were also trained. This important military facility was set up in October 1940, around 250,000 personnel passed through the training centre by 1944. The main site is now occupied by Argyll Caravan Park.
Nature and conservation
Dolphins,
seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...
s and
otters inhabit the loch, and
basking shark
The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in leng ...
s can appear in its waters during the summer months. A
Ross's gull
Ross's gull (''Rhodostethia rosea'') is a small gull, the only species in its genus, although it has been suggested it should be moved to the genus '' Hydrocoloeus'', which otherwise only includes the little gull.
This bird is named after the B ...
was present at the loch in early 2007.
In 2014 Loch Fyne was declared a
Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA). The designation covers the entire loch northwards from a point near
Otter Ferry.
Fisheries
Loch Fyne has a reputation for its
oyster fishery, and as a consequence, the loch has given its name to the once locally owned
Loch Fyne Oysters and to the associated
Loch Fyne Restaurants
Loch Fyne Restaurants is a chain of nine seafood restaurants in the United Kingdom owned and operated by Greene King plc.
History
The company takes its name from Loch Fyne, a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. The business started life a ...
. It is also notable for its
herring-fishing industry, and hence the famous Loch Fyne Kipper, originally caught using the
drift-net method. In the mid-19th century, Loch Fyne was the centre of the battle between the traditional drift-net fishermen and the new
trawl-net fishermen who sprang up around
Tarbert and
Campbeltown in 1833.
Several Scottish sea-fishing records have been set in the loch:
Sport and leisure
Diving
Loch Fyne is a popular area for
sport diving. Off the coast at
St Catherines, is a boulder field and a wrecked speedboat. At Kenmore Point is Stallion Rock, a single rock that rises from the sea bed.
Sight seeing
Castles
It is also a popular
tourist destination with attractions such as
Inveraray Castle
Inveraray Castle (pronounced or ; Scottish Gaelic ''Caisteal Inbhir Aora'' ) is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest ex ...
,
Dunderave Castle,
Kilmory Castle
Kilmory Castle, also known as Kilmory House, is a large 19th century house located just to the south of Lochgilphead, in old county Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. It is currently occupied by the headquarters of the Argyll and Bute Co ...
,
Minard Castle and the nearby ruins of
Castle MacEwen and
Old Castle Lachlan around the shores of Loch Fyne.
Crarae Garden
Crarae Garden located 10 miles south of Inveraray, the
National Trust gardens overlook Loch Fyne.
Inveraray Bell Tower
The Loch is overlooked by the 126 feet (38 m) high
Inverary Bell Tower, visible from much of the Loch, and is a popular tourist attraction.
Gallery
Image:Inveraray Bridge - Loch Fyne.jpg, Inveraray
Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...
Bridge on Loch Fyne. The spires of Inveraray Castle
Inveraray Castle (pronounced or ; Scottish Gaelic ''Caisteal Inbhir Aora'' ) is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest ex ...
can just be seen on the left.
Image:Wfm loch fyne.jpg, Loch Fyne at Inverary harbour.
Image:2008-08 - Plum Island and Cowal Games 543.jpg, A view towards the north-eastern tip of the loch from St Catherines.
Image:Lochfyne.JPG, The view down Loch Fyne, from Inveraray. The Fairy Hill can be seen in the distance to the right.
Image:Shoreline and Loch Fyne - geograph.org.uk - 156498.jpg, Shoreline and Loch Fyne
Image:The foreshore of Loch Fyne near Castle Lachlan. - geograph.org.uk - 412516.jpg, The foreshore of Loch Fyne near Castle Lachlan.
See also
*
Ardkinglas Railway
*
Loch Fyne (Greenland)
Loch Fyne is a fjord in the NE Greenland National Park area, East Greenland. History
The fjord was explored and mapped in 1823 by British Arctic explorer Douglas Clavering during the Commissioners for the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea expediti ...
, a ford named in 1823 by
Douglas Clavering after this loch
References
External links
Old Castle Lachlan - website*
ttps://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/crarae-garden/ National Trust, Crarae garden - website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loch Fyne
Fyne
Fyne
Firth of Clyde
Cowal
Underwater diving sites in Scotland
Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas of Scotland