Cam Loch (the crooked loch) is an irregularly-shaped freshwater loch, about 5 km long, on a north-west to south-east orientation, located slightly north of the village of
Elphin, in the
Assynt
Assynt ( or ) is a sparsely populated area in the south-west of Sutherland, lying north of Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland. Assynt is known for its landscape and its remarkable mountains, which have led to the area, along with neighbour ...
district of
Sutherland
Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...
, Scotland.
The loch is located in an area along with neighbouring
Coigach, as the ''Assynt-Coigach
National Scenic Area'', one of 40 such areas in Scotland.
Geography
Located immediately to the south-west of Cam Loch, and at a slightly lower level, is
Loch Veyatie, which is roughly parallel to it.
The two lochs are connected by Abhainn Mhòr, which consists of extensions of the two lochs with a waterfall between them. It is an area that holds several large lochs, for example the irregular-shaped
Loch Sionascaig, directly to the west. The loch is overlooked by the twin peaks of
Cùl Mòr at 849m to the south-west. Directly south of the loch is
Canisp
Canisp (Scottish Gaelic: ''Canasp'') is a mountain in the far north west of Scotland. It is situated in the parish of Assynt, in the county of Sutherland, north of the town of Ullapool. Canisp reaches a height of and qualifies as a Corbett a ...
at 847m. To the south-east, is the steep-sides ridge that forms the mountain of
Suilven at 723m. Cam Loch sits in an area of
wilderness
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...
landscape of
moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...
,
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...
s, and
lochs
''Loch'' ( ) is a word meaning "lake" or " sea inlet" in Scottish and Irish Gaelic, subsequently borrowed into English. In Irish contexts, it often appears in the anglicized form "lough". A small loch is sometimes called a lochan. Lochs which ...
and
loch
''Loch'' ( ) is a word meaning "lake" or "inlet, sea inlet" in Scottish Gaelic, Scottish and Irish Gaelic, subsequently borrowed into English. In Irish contexts, it often appears in the anglicized form "lough". A small loch is sometimes calle ...
ans.
Cam Loch is fed by inflows from
Loch Urigill and
Loch Borralan via the River Ledbeg.
The loch drains via Abhainn Mhòr, into Loch Veyatie, that is part of the Fionn Loch Drainage System, that drains into
Fionn Loch, that in turn is drained by the
River Kirkaig into the sea.
Interglacial site
Cam Loch is internationally important as one of the most intensively studied
late glacial sites in Scotland, in studies by members of the
Freshwater Biological Association.
It is a reference site for the stratigraphy of the late glacial in north-west Scotland and used to compare paleoecological research with sites elsewhere in the United Kingdom and
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...
.
The
sediment
Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...
s preserved on the loch bed are important for reconstructing the late glacial period between 13000 and 10000
BP.
The evidence provided by the sediment shows a rapid and marked climatic change during that period.
Due to richness of the evidence, the loch has been intensively studied over the years.
The sediments have been studied for their inorganic and
organic geochemistry,
pollen stratigraphy and
diatom
A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma'') is any member of a large group comprising several Genus, genera of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of Earth's B ...
stratigraphy
Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks.
Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...
.
Bibliography
Inorganic geochemistry
*
*
*
Organic geochemistry
*
*
*
Pollen stratigraphy
*
*
Diatom stratigraphy
*
*
Gallery
File:The Cam Loch - geograph.org.uk - 737109.jpg, The Cam Loch Looking across the southern part of the Loch. Cul Mor is in the distance on the right, with Cul Beag and Ben More Coigach on the left.
File:Cam Loch - geograph.org.uk - 972468.jpg, Cam Loch From the Lochinver/Ledmore path with Suilven in the background.
File:The Cam Loch - geograph.org.uk - 737127.jpg, The Cam Loch Looking across the broad middle part of the loch, from where the Elphin to Lochinver path leaves the loch and heads inland. Cul Mor is beyond.
File:Cam Loch - geograph.org.uk - 229569.jpg, Cam Loch. From path to Suilven from Elphin.
File:View over Cam Loch towards Suilven - geograph.org.uk - 628174.jpg, View over Cam Loch towards Suilven
References
{{Reflist
Freshwater lochs of Scotland
Kirkaig Basin
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Scotland