Loch Heilen is a loch in the civil parish of Dunnet in

Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...

, Scotland. St. John's Loch and Loch Heilen are the two largest lochs in the parish. It is about inland from Dunnet Bay to the west, which is on the north coast of Scotland. The town of

Thurso Thurso (pronounced ; , ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great Britain. From a latitudinal s ...

is about to the west.Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by Francis H. Groome; publ. Thomas C. Jack, Edinburgh,1901. (Article on Dunnet) The loch has had various spellings - Hayland, Haelan, Hailan, Heilen. The loch is orientated in an east to west direction, and is over long. Its breadth (north-south) reaches almost a half a mile and the surface area is . The centre of the loch is the deepest part, approximately, deep.Bathymetrical Survey of the Scottish Fresh-Water Lochs, ed. Sir John Murray K.C.B., F.R.S., D.Sc., and Laurence Pullar F.R.S.E., F.R.G.S., publ. Challenger Office, Edinburgh, 1910; Vol 2, part 2, pp. 17-18 and Vol. 5, Plate 5:: St John's Loch, Loch Heilen The overflow of the loch is through the Burn of Inkstack, which exits from the north shore. This flows northwards, joining the Burn of Ham, and flowing into the sea on the north coast of Caithness, at

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

.Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain, Sheet ND27 & Part of ND17 - B, Publ. 1963 The loch has an abundance of ducks and other wild birds, especially

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

Wigeon The wigeons or widgeons are a group of birds, dabbling ducks currently classified in the genus ''Mareca'' along with two other species. There are three extant species of wigeon, in addition to one recently extinct species. Biology There are ...

and the

Common goldeneye The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (''Bucephala clangula'') is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus ''Goldeneye (duck), Bucephala'', the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from th ...

.Wildfowl in Great Britain, ed. G. L. Atkinson -Willes (for the Wildfowl Trust), Publ. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London 1963; p.225

References

Heilen Freshwater lochs of Scotland {{Caithness-geo-stub