- Loch Etive
Loch Etive (Scottish Gaelic, "Loch Eite") is a 30 km sea loch in
Argyll and Bute ,Scotland . It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north ofOban . It measures 31.6 km (19 3/4 miles) in length and from 1.2 km (3/4 mile) to 1.6 km (1 mile) in width.The name Etive is believed to mean "little ugly one" from the Gaelic
Goddess associated with the loch. It heads east for half its length alongside the main road and rail link to Oban, before heading northeast intomountain ous terrain. A road alongGlen Etive makes the head of the loch accessible fromGlen Coe . The loch, being higher than sea level, together with its narrow mouth, results in its most unusual feature, theFalls of Lora . Part of the north bank has been designated a "Special Area of Conservation " in particular due to oldsessile oak woods. Surprisingly, a small colony of around 20 common seals is resident in Loch Etive.Just seaward of the mouth of the loch is
Dunstaffnage Castle . This was a stronghold of the kingdom ofDál Riata until the 9th century, and possibly its centre at one time. It is believed to have held theStone of Destiny before its transfer toScone Palace . The current ruins date from 1275. Cruises up Loch Etive followed by carriage trip to Glen Coe were started in 1881 as Oban developed as a fashionable resort.Connel Bridge , an impressivecantilever bridge at the Falls of Lora, has an interesting history. Built in 1903 for the Connel-Ballachulish railway, a rail-bus ferried foot-passengers across from 1909 until 1914 when the bridge was converted to allow for rail, road or passenger traffic (on the same track). Since the line closed in 1966, the bridge has been solely for road traffic.In the parish of
Ardchattan , on the north shore, stands the beautiful ruin ofSt. Modan's Priory , founded in the 13th century forCistercian monks of theValliscaulian Order . It is said that Robert Bruce held within its walls the last parliament in which theGaelic language was used. On the coast ofLoch Nell , orArdmucknish Bay , is the vitrified fort ofBeregonium , not to be confounded withRerigonium (sometimes miscalled Berigonium) onLoch Ryan inWigtownshire town of theNovantae Picts , identified withInnermessan . The confusion has arisen through a textual error in an early edition ofPtolemy 's "Geography".External links
* [http://www.fishing-argyll.co.uk/ Fishing-Argyll web site.]
* [http://www.fallsoflora.info/ The Falls of Lora information website.]
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