Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It extends inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs in Scotland. It is connected to the

Sound of Jura The Sound of Jura () is a strait in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is one of the several Sounds of Scotland. It is to the east of the island of Jura and to the west of Knapdale, part of a peninsula of the Scottish mainland. The Crinan Canal' ...

by the Crinan Canal. Although there is no evidence that grapes have grown there, the title is probably honorific, indicating that the river, (river Fyne), was a well-respected river. In the north the terrain is mountainous, with the

Arrochar Alps The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The mountains are especially popular ...

, , Glen Shira,

Glen Fyne A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

, Glen Croe, Arrochar, Tyndrum and

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

nearby. It is overlooked by the Tinkers' Heart, an old travellers' monument. It was a place for weddings to traditionally take place.

Transport

Roads

The loch has several roads surrounding it. The A83 goes round the head of the loch then travels down the west coast of Loch Fyne, from Ardrishaig to Tarbert along the Knapdale coast. Leaving the A83 north of Cairndow the A815 travels down the east shore of Loch Fyne along the Cowal peninsula coast to Strachur, where to continue down the east shore the A886 leads to Newton. Where you turn off onto the B8000 which carries on down the east shore to Millhouse, where you can go to Portavadie or Kames (direct) or via the Ardlamont peninsula, a longer route to Kames.

Ferries

At the mouth of Loch Fyne between Portavadie on the Cowal peninsula, on the east shore of the loch. A

vehicle ferry Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

traverses the loch to Tarbert on the

Kintyre Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...

peninsula on the west shore.

Crinan Canal

The Crinan Canal connects Loch Fyne at Ardrishaig and the

at the hamlet of

Crinan Crinan is a name of Gaelic origin and it has a number of contexts: * Crinan, Argyll Crinan ( gd, An Crìonan) is a small village located on the west coast of Scotland in the region known as Knapdale, which is part of Argyll and Bute. Before the ...

itself, giving a shortcut for smaller vessels out to the

Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebr ...

saving the longer route of going around the

peninsula. The canal was built between 1794 and 1801 when the canal was opened, under the supervision of John Rennie. In 1816 Thomas Telford redesigned parts of the canal to remedy technical issues with water supplies for the canal. There are fifteen

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

along the canal's length.

History

World War Two

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, HMS Quebec (a shore establishment) also known as the "No 1" Combined Operations Training Centre (CTC) was centred a few miles south of Inveraray and used the shores of the Loch Fyne and surrounding coastline. It trained personnel in the techniques involved in the use of landing craft and the setting up of a beachhead. The No1 CTC was manned and trained personnel from all three services, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Army, troops of the allies were also trained. This important military facility was set up in October 1940, around 250,000 personnel passed through the training centre by 1944. The main site is now occupied by Argyll Caravan Park.

Nature and conservation

Dolphins,

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

s and otters inhabit the loch, and

basking shark The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in leng ...

s can appear in its waters during the summer months. A

Ross's gull Ross's gull (''Rhodostethia rosea'') is a small gull, the only species in its genus, although it has been suggested it should be moved to the genus '' Hydrocoloeus'', which otherwise only includes the little gull. This bird is named after the B ...

was present at the loch in early 2007. In 2014 Loch Fyne was declared a Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA). The designation covers the entire loch northwards from a point near Otter Ferry.

Fisheries

Loch Fyne has a reputation for its oyster fishery, and as a consequence, the loch has given its name to the once locally owned Loch Fyne Oysters and to the associated

Loch Fyne Restaurants Loch Fyne Restaurants is a chain of nine seafood restaurants in the United Kingdom owned and operated by Greene King plc. History The company takes its name from Loch Fyne, a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. The business started life a ...

. It is also notable for its herring-fishing industry, and hence the famous Loch Fyne Kipper, originally caught using the drift-net method. In the mid-19th century, Loch Fyne was the centre of the battle between the traditional drift-net fishermen and the new trawl-net fishermen who sprang up around Tarbert and Campbeltown in 1833. Several Scottish sea-fishing records have been set in the loch:

Sport and leisure

Diving

Loch Fyne is a popular area for sport diving. Off the coast at St Catherines, is a boulder field and a wrecked speedboat. At Kenmore Point is Stallion Rock, a single rock that rises from the sea bed.

Sight seeing

Castles

It is also a popular tourist destination with attractions such as

Inveraray Castle Inveraray Castle (pronounced or ; Scottish Gaelic ''Caisteal Inbhir Aora'' ) is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest ex ...

, Dunderave Castle,

Kilmory Castle Kilmory Castle, also known as Kilmory House, is a large 19th century house located just to the south of Lochgilphead, in old county Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. It is currently occupied by the headquarters of the Argyll and Bute Co ...

, Minard Castle and the nearby ruins of Castle MacEwen and Old Castle Lachlan around the shores of Loch Fyne.

Crarae Garden

Crarae Garden located 10 miles south of Inveraray, the National Trust gardens overlook Loch Fyne.

Inveraray Bell Tower

The Loch is overlooked by the 126 feet (38 m) high Inverary Bell Tower, visible from much of the Loch, and is a popular tourist attraction.

Gallery

Image:Inveraray Bridge - Loch Fyne.jpg,

Inveraray Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...

Bridge on Loch Fyne. The spires of

can just be seen on the left. Image:Wfm loch fyne.jpg, Loch Fyne at Inverary harbour. Image:2008-08 - Plum Island and Cowal Games 543.jpg, A view towards the north-eastern tip of the loch from St Catherines. Image:Lochfyne.JPG, The view down Loch Fyne, from Inveraray. The Fairy Hill can be seen in the distance to the right. Image:Shoreline and Loch Fyne - geograph.org.uk - 156498.jpg, Shoreline and Loch Fyne Image:The foreshore of Loch Fyne near Castle Lachlan. - geograph.org.uk - 412516.jpg, The foreshore of Loch Fyne near Castle Lachlan.

References

External links

Old Castle Lachlan - website

* ttps://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/crarae-garden/ National Trust, Crarae garden - website {{DEFAULTSORT:Loch Fyne Fyne Fyne Firth of Clyde Cowal Underwater diving sites in Scotland Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas of Scotland