Loch Indaal
Encyclopedia
Loch Indaal is a sea loch on the island of Islay
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
, the southernmost of the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
, off the west coast 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...
. Together with Loch Gruinart
Loch Gruinart
Loch Gruinart is a sea loch on the northern coast of isle of Islay in Scotland. Land at the head of the loch, Gruinart Flats, is a designated nature reserve owned by the RSPB. It is an important winter roosting site for Barnacle Geese...
to the north, it was formed by the Loch Gruinart Fault, which branches off the Great Glen Fault
Great Glen Fault
The Great Glen Fault is a long strike-slip fault that runs through its namesake the Great Glen in Scotland. However, the fault is actually much longer and over 400 million years old.-Location:...
.
Along the northwestern coast are the villages of Bruichladdich
Bruichladdich
Bruichladdich Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on the Rhinns of the isle of Islay. It is one of eight distilleries on the island, and until the recent opening of Kilchoman farm distillery, the only independent one....
and Port Charlotte
Port Charlotte, Islay
Port Charlotte is a village on the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. It was founded in 1828.Port Charlotte was named after Lord Frederick Campbell's wife, and it was set up mainly to provide housing facilities for the Lochindaal Distillery work force. Parts of the former distillery...
. Along its northeastern shore is the tiny village of Bridgend
Bridgend, Islay
Bridgend is a village on the Inner Hebrides island of Islay off the western coast of Scotland at the tip of Loch Indaal.The island's two main road the A846 and A847 meet in the village just north of the bridge over the River Sorn that gives the village its name....
and on its southeastern shore is the island capital of Bowmore
Bowmore
Bowmore Bowmore Bowmore (Scottish Gaelic: Bogh Mòr is a village on the Scottish island of Islay and serves as administrative capital of the island. It gives its name to the famous distillery producing Bowmore Single Malt, a single malt scotch whisky.-History:...
.
At night the lights of the villages along the three sides of the loch inspired the well-known folk song "The Lights of Lochindaal" by Iain Simpson.
South of Bowmore the entire coastline is a six-mile-long sandy beach stretching to Kintra. This beach, known as the Big Strand, is very popular with holidaymakers and locals alike in the summer.
Waters
Lochindaal slopes gently from its NE corner down to its opening into the Atlantic. At the mouth of Lochindaal, equidistant between Portnahaven and the Monument on the Oa, the depth is around 40 metres, this slopes steadily upwards towards the northeast reaching a depth of barely 10 metres between Laggan Point and Port Charlotte.The waters of the loch are calm and safe but the approaches are hazardous especially for small vessels. There are tidal streams, eddies, races and heavy overfalls both in the east and west flowing streams of the tide (see the admiralty chart for more details).
The Big Strand and Laggan Bay
The East of the loch is taken up by the six mile length of the Big Strand, the area as a whole being known as Laggan Bay. The Big Strand itself is sandy along its whole length being broken by a rocky outcrop half way along at the airport.In the north the Big Strand is accessible by car along a stretch of unmade road leading from Island Farm, it is road signed off the A846 south of Bowmore. The river Laggan empties into the ocean at the very northern point of the beach.
In the south the Big Strand is accessible from Kintra Farm on the Oa.
The loch shelves away slowly towards the middle of the loch and is ideal for bathing and swimming.
Half way along the strand is Islay Airport (Glenegedale Airport). Although it has two runways, one is not in use. The approach from to the northwest runway takes the SAAB 340 service plane over Lochindaal at very low altitude giving superb views of Laggan Bay.