Cherry Island (Loch Ness)
Encyclopedia
Cherry Island is the only island in Loch Ness
, Highland
, Scotland
, and is an example of a crannog
. The island is about 150 yards (137.2 m) from the shore near the southern end of the loch. The island was originally 160 feet (48.8 m) by 168 feet (51.2 m) across, but is now smaller as the level of the loch was raised when it became part of the Caledonian Canal
. The increase in the level of the loch caused a smaller natural island nearby, Dog Island, to be totally submerged.
A castle stood on the island during the 15th century; this was constructed of stone and oak wood and was probably used as a fortified refuge. It has been suggested that Cherry Island may have been a hunting lodge, with Dog Island the home for the hunting dogs.
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
, Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and is an example of a crannog
Crannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
. The island is about 150 yards (137.2 m) from the shore near the southern end of the loch. The island was originally 160 feet (48.8 m) by 168 feet (51.2 m) across, but is now smaller as the level of the loch was raised when it became part of the Caledonian Canal
Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
. The increase in the level of the loch caused a smaller natural island nearby, Dog Island, to be totally submerged.
A castle stood on the island during the 15th century; this was constructed of stone and oak wood and was probably used as a fortified refuge. It has been suggested that Cherry Island may have been a hunting lodge, with Dog Island the home for the hunting dogs.
External links
- Highland Council Press Release picture and information about Cherry Island