Loch Cluanie
Encyclopedia
Loch Cluanie is a loch
in the Northwest Highlands
of Scotland
at the south-east end of Glen Shiel
. It is a reservoir, contained behind the Cluanie Dam
, constructed by Mitchell Construction
and completed in 1957 as part of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board
's Glenmoriston
project to generate hydroelectricity
. The dam is also the home of the free (illegal) music festival
Midge Death held annually at the end of September.
The hamlet of Cluanie is on the west side of the loch. It has a car park, the Cluanie Inn and two houses which are used as "holiday homes" by their owners. The A87 road
runs along the north edge of the loch. Cluanie Lodge is a private dewlling owned by the estate and land owner, again used as a holiday home, on the south-west corner of the loch. The richly vegetated areas at the side of the loch are home to small birds such as the willow warbler
and the wren
.
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
in the Northwest Highlands
Northwest Highlands
The Northwest Highlands are the northern third of Scotland that is separated from the Grampian Mountains by the Great Glen . The region comprises , Assynt, Caithness and Sutherland. The Caledonian Canal, which extends from Loch Linnhe in the west, via Loch Ness to the Moray Firth in the north...
of 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...
at the south-east end of Glen Shiel
Glen Shiel
Glen Shiel is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.The glen runs approximately 9 miles from north-west to south-east, from sea level at the village of Shiel Bridge and Loch Duich to the Cluanie Inn at the western end of Loch Cluanie and the start of Glenmoriston.W. H...
. It is a reservoir, contained behind the Cluanie Dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
, constructed by Mitchell Construction
Mitchell Construction
Mitchell Construction was once a leading British civil engineering business based in Peterborough.-History:The business was founded by F.G. Mitchell in London in 1933 as an offshoot of Mitchell Engineering, his engineering business. In 1940 the Company moved to Peterborough because of the...
and completed in 1957 as part of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board
North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was founded to design, construct and manage hydroelectricity projects in the Highlands of Scotland...
's Glenmoriston
Glenmoriston
Glenmoriston or Glen Moriston is a river glen in the Scottish Highlands, that runs from Loch Ness, at the village of Invermoriston, westwards to Loch Cluanie, where it meets with Glen Shiel. The A887 and A87 roads pass through Glenmoriston....
project to generate hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
. The dam is also the home of the free (illegal) music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
Midge Death held annually at the end of September.
The hamlet of Cluanie is on the west side of the loch. It has a car park, the Cluanie Inn and two houses which are used as "holiday homes" by their owners. The A87 road
A87 road
The A87 is a major road in the Highland region of Scotland.It runs west from its junction with the A82 road at Invergarry , along the north shores of Loch Garry and Loch Cluanie, then down through Glen Shiel and along Loch Duich to Kyle of Lochalsh before crossing the Skye Bridge to Kyleakin,...
runs along the north edge of the loch. Cluanie Lodge is a private dewlling owned by the estate and land owner, again used as a holiday home, on the south-west corner of the loch. The richly vegetated areas at the side of the loch are home to small birds such as the willow warbler
Willow Warbler
The Willow Warbler is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia...
and the wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
.