Rescobie Loch is a post glacial fresh water body located in the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Rescobie, to the East of
Forfar
Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a p ...
, in the county of
Angus, Scotland
Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agr ...
. The
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 ...
is fed by
Lunan Water which enters from the West and exits to the East.
History
Rescobie's name may have originated from the
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 ...
“Ros Sgolban” meaning "the wood of splinters or thorns“. Historically it has also been referred to as Rosolpin, Roscolpin, Roscolbyn, Roscoby and Rescobis.
Historically Rescobie's importance far exceeded its present-day status.
Rescobie Loch is believed to be the location of Rescobie Castle also referred to as Barnsdale Castle.
There is no trace of the castle today.
In 1097 King
Donald III of Scotland
Donald III (Medieval Gaelic: Domnall mac Donnchada; Modern Gaelic: ''Dòmhnall mac Dhonnchaidh''), and nicknamed "Donald the Fair" or "Donald the White" (Medieval Gaelic:"Domnall Bán", anglicised as Donald Bane/Bain or Donalbane/Donalbain) (c. ...
was dethroned and held captive in Rescobie Castle where his brother Edgar blinded him in both eyes. He died in 1099 and was buried initially at Dunkeld Cathedral before being finally laid to rest at the Scottish Island of
Iona
Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...
and was the last of the early Scottish Kings to be buried there.
Biodiversity
Rescobie Loch together with its neighbour, Balgavies Loch, have been classified as a Biological
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(SSSI code 1345) and as such are protected and monitored. It is a diverse habitat for both wildlife and plants.
Fishing
In the early 1960s the Rescobie Loch Development Association
Rescobie Loch Development Association
/ref> was formed to manage and run the fishing. Only fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...
is allowed from either bank or boat and the loch is regularly stocked with Rainbow Trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...
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 ...
.
Gallery
Image:Rescobie_Loch_View_West_End.jpg, Rescobie Loch - View West towards boathouse
Image:Rescobie_Loch_View_North.jpg, Rescobie Loch - View North towards Turin Hill
Image:Rescobie Loch view East.jpg, Rescobie Loch - View East
Image:Rescobie Loch - geograph.org.uk - 215659.jpg, Rescobie Loch - View South
Image:Rescobie_Loch_OS_Opendata_Map.jpg, Rescobie Loch, OS Streetview Map
References
{{reflist
Map of Rescobie Loch
Bathymetrical Survey of the Freshwater Lochs of Scotland 1897–1909 (National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...
)
Lochs of Angus, Scotland
Freshwater lochs of Scotland