Loch Lomond
Long celebrated in song and verse, Loch Lomond is one of Scotland's most popular visitor destinations.
Scotland is famous for its lochs. From Loch Ken in Dumfries and Galloway to Loch of Cliff right at the northern tip of Shetland, there are over 30,000 of them around the country.
A loch is a lake or a sea inlet. Some, like Loch Lomond, are huge. Some, like Duddingston Loch in Edinburgh, are small. Some, like Loch Morar, are mysterious. All of them are waiting to be explored!
A small loch is called a Lochan. There's no special word for a big loch, but in Scots Gaelic, you would call it a Loch Mhor - and yes, there is a loch called exactly that.
Lots of lochs are connected to the sea - they are called Sea Lochs. At the top of a loch, you'll often find places called Inver, which means river mouth, and where there's a narrow piece of land between two lochs it's often called Tarbert, meaning isthmus or causeway (there are at least 16 places called Tarbert in Scotland!).
Here at The Tartan Road, we design bespoke luxury holidays in Scotland. We're passionate about this small country, and we think it's one of the best places in the world to go on vacation.
What's the biggest Loch in Scotland? It all depends on how you measure it...
The longest inland loch in Scotland is Loch Awe, which is 25 miles (40km) long. However, this is beaten by Loch Fyne, the longest sea loch at 44 miles (71km).
The deepest loch is Loch Morar. It's 310m (1017ft) deep. It even has its secretive resident: Morag, the Morar Monster.
The largest surface area belongs to Loch Lomond - a majestic 71 square kilometres.
Loch Ness has the largest volume of any Scottish loch. It contains more water than all the English and Welsh lakes put together! It's also the coldest - the water temperature averages a chilly 5 degrees Celsius all year round.
While we're at it, Loch Etchachan is the highest loch in Scotland - the surface is 927 metres (3,041ft) above sea level. Finally, the warmest loch is Loch Lubnaig - perfect for some wild swimming!
