Loch Teàrnait, also known as Loch Tearnait or Loch Ternate, is a small, lowland, freshwater

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 ...

on the Ardtornish Estate on the Morvern peninsula in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

. It lies in an east to west direction and is approximately southeast of Loch Arienas and east of

Loch Aline Loch Aline (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Àlainn'') is a small Seawater, salt water loch home to fish, birds and game, located in Morvern, Lochaber, Scotland. Key features of interest are Kinlochaline Castle, Ardtornish Castle and the Ardtornish est ...

. It is long and wide, and is at an altitude of . The average depth is and its maximum depth is . The loch was surveyed on 18 August 1904 by James Murray as part of Sir John Murray's ''Bathymetrical Survey of Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland 1897-1909''. In the centre of the loch is a small, circular island which is thought to be the remains of a

crannog A crannog (; ; ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually constructed in lakes, bogs and estuary, estuarine waters of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were built ...

. It is in diameter, built of timber and stone, and has two small inlets for boats. It is likely to have been occupied since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, and in local tradition it was said to have been used as a sanctuary for fugitives under the protection of the

Lords of the Isles Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( or ; ) is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title was ...

. In 2009 the company Hydroplan began construction of a

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

generating facility at the outflow of the loch. Power generation began in December 2012, and the scheme was officially opened in May 2013. In 2008, prior to construction of the hydro scheme, an

archaeological survey In archaeology, survey or field survey is a type of field research by which archaeologists (often Landscape archaeology, landscape archaeologists) search for archaeological sites and collect information about the location, distribution and organi ...

was undertaken in and around the loch which documented 31 archaeological sites. The loch holds native wild brown trout and permits are required to fish the loch.

References

{{reflist Teàrnait Teàrnait