Loch Awe - Argyll & Bute, Scotland.
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 23.732 W 005° 07.299
30V E 369043 N 6252122
Scotland's longest freshwater loch, running for 25 miles near the west coast.
Waymark Code: WMVQQZ
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/19/2017
Views: 1
Loch Awe is situated in the west of Scotland in the county of Argyll & Bute. It is the longest inland loch in Scotland, snaking from south-west to north-east for 25 miles, never particularly wide except towards its northern end where the loch comes up against the bulk of Ben Cruachan and an arm heads off to the west along the Pass of Brander, becoming the River Awe and eventually draining into Loch Etive. The head of the loch at the south-western end is actually only a few miles from the west coast.
The loch has a few islands towards the wider northern end and is ringed by many ruined castles, including Kilchurn Castle which is sited on a peninsula on the northern tip. The area around the loch was home of the Clan MacArthur in ancient times.
Both trout and salmon are prevalent in the waters, and there are also two hydro-electric projects, one in the Pass of Brander and one at Cruachan Reservoir which drains into the loch from the north via a massive dam. The power station is buried beneath the hillside here and a tunnel ferries visitors to it from the visitor centre on the loch's edge.
The loch is almost entirely ringed by roads, the A85 runs along the northern edge before heading through the Pass of Brander westwards to the town of Oban. The A819 heads down the eastern side for a few miles before the B840 takes over and runs the entire length to the hamlet of Ford at the head of the loch. The sparsely populated western side is served by a minor road, although the B845 arrives from the north to reach the loch at North Port.
The best views of the loch can be gained from the mountainous terrain on the north side.