Today we are taking a look at the UK’s largest lakes. While nothing in comparison the world’s largest lakes, they are still impressive none the less. We will take a look at names, locations and the approximate area in miles…
Loch Shin, Scotland
10 – Loch Shin, Scotland (Approximate Area: 8.7 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Three miles to the north of Lairg is a monument to remember an early attempt to tame the Highlands. During the 1870s, the Duke of Sutherland ploughed up about 2,000 acres, but the industry never rewarded that. Today the area around the loch is one of the major farming centres for sheep in Scotland.
Loch Tay, Scotland
9 – Loch Tay, Scotland (Approximate Area: 10.19 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Killin at the head of the loch, and Kenmore at the outflow of the River Tay, are the main settlements on the lochside today. The smaller settlements of Acharn, Ardeonaig and Ardtalnaig are located on the south side of the loch whilst Fearnan and Lawers are on the north side. The loch is fed by the rivers Dochart and Lochay at its head and numerous smaller streams.
Loch Morar, Scotland
8 – Loch Morar, Scotland (Approximate Area: 10.3 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Loch Morar is a freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is the fifth-largest loch by surface area in Scotland, at 10.3 sq mi and the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles with a maximum depth of 310 m (1,017 ft). The loch was created by glacial action around 10,000 years ago, and has a surface elevation of 9 metres above sea level.
Loch Maree, Scotland
7 – Loch Maree, Scotland (Approximate Area: 11.03 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Loch Maree contains five large wooded islands and over 60 smaller ones, many of which have their own lakelets. Isle Maree has the remains of a chapel, graveyard, holy well, and holy tree on it, believed to be the 8th-century hermitage of Saint Máel Ruba, who founded the monastery of Applecross in 672. The same island contains ancient stands of oak and holly which have been linked with ancient Scottish druids.
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Loch Awe, Scotland
6 – Loch Awe, Scotland (Approximate Area: 14.85 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Loch Awe is a large body of freshwater in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe, or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such as Innis Chonnell and Inishail.
Upper Lough Erne, Northern Ireland
5 – Upper Lough Erne, Northern Ireland (Approximate Area: 13.3 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Lough Erne appears to be named after an ancient population group called the Érainn, or after a goddess from which the Érainn took their name. Since tribes were often named after a divine ancestor, T. F. O’Rahilly suggested that the Érainn took their name from a goddess named Érann and that Loch Éirne probably means “lake of Érann”. O’Rahilly and other scholars have connected these names to Ériu, the goddess after which Ireland is named.
Loch Ness, Scotland
4 – Loch Ness, Scotland (Approximate Area: 21.78 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Loch Ness is thought by some to be the home of the Loch Ness Monster (also known as “Nessie”), a cryptid, reputedly a large unknown animal. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next. Popular interest and belief in the animal’s existence have varied since it was first brought to the world’s attention in 1933.
Loch Lomond, Scotland
3 – Loch Lomond, Scotland (Approximate Area: 27.45 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest inland stretch of water in Great Britain by surface area. The loch contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles.
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Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland
2 – Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland (Approximate Area: 42.28 sq mi)
Wiki Info: In Irish mythology and folklore, there are three tales about the lake’s origins. One says that it is named after a mythical woman named Erne, Queen Méabh’s lady-in-waiting at Cruachan. Erne and her maidens were frightened away from Cruachan when a fearsome giant emerged from the cave of Oweynagat.
Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland
1 – Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland (Approximate Area: 147.87 sq mi)
Wiki Info: Lough Neagh is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. It is the largest lake by area in the British Isles, with a surface area of 151 square miles. It supplies 40% of Northern Ireland’s water and its main inflows are the Upper River Bann and River Blackwater, and its main outflow is the Lower River Bann.