Loch Langavat ( gd, Langabhat) is the name of several 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 ...

s in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

of Scotland. The name is a Gaelic rendition of

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

''lang'' "long" and ''vatn'', meaning "lake". Most of these lochs are on the island of Lewis and Harris #Loch Langavat () is a loch in the

Ness Ness or NESS may refer to: Places Australia * Ness, Wapengo, a heritage-listed natural coastal area in New South Wales United Kingdom * Ness, Cheshire, England, a village * Ness, Lewis, the most northerly area on Lewis, Scotland, UK * Cuspate ...

district of Lewis. It lies midway between the Butt of Lewis and Tolsta Head, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of

Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well a ...

. #Loch Langabhat () is the biggest freshwater loch on Lewis. It is over 7 miles long and at the head of the Grimersta system, with spectacular scenery and frequent sightings of

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

s and

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

. The loch is fished for

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

. The loch lies at above sea level, its total area is and its maximum depth . #Loch Langabhat () is a small loch north of Carlabhagh, Lewis. #Loch Langabhat () is a small loch northwest of Gress, Lewis. #Loch Langabhat () is a loch about 700 m long west of

Amhuinnsuidhe Amhuinnsuidhe ( gd, Abhainn Suidhe) is a settlement on the Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The settlement is also within the parish of Harris. Amhuinnsuidhe is centred on the country house, Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, which is adjacent to the ...

, Harris. #Loch Langabhat () in central Harris is in a steep-sided valley and more than long. There is another Loch Langabhat on Benbecula at , which is over long. According to Sinclair (1890), John Macaulay, known as Iain Ruadh MacDhughaill, "was celebrated as a hunter. He was drowned in Loch Langabhat whilst swimming to an Island in the middle of that lake, an t-Eilaln Dubh. A large stone marks the spot on which his body was laid after it was taken out of the water. His bereaved mother used to visit this spot on almost every Wednesday of the year. He was born about the year 1600."Sinclair, Alexander Maclean (1890
"LE A MHATHAIR"
Archive.org. Retrieved 20 December 2009. It is not clear which of the Loch Langavats this incident refers to.

References

* Murray, Sir John and Pullar, Laurence (1908) ''Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909''. London; Royal Geographical Society. * Sinclair, Alexander Maclean (1890) ''The Gaelic bards : from 1411 to 1517'' .e. 1715Edinburgh; J. Thin

Footnotes

Isle of Lewis Langavat Langavat Langavat {{WesternIsles-geo-stub