Loch Langavat () is the name of several freshwater

loch ''Loch'' ( ) is a word meaning "lake" or "inlet, sea inlet" in Scottish Gaelic, Scottish and Irish Gaelic, subsequently borrowed into English. In Irish contexts, it often appears in the anglicized form "lough". A small loch is sometimes calle ...

s in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...

of Scotland. The name is a Gaelic rendition of

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''lang'' "long" and ''vatn'', meaning "lake". Most of these lochs are on the island of

Lewis and Harris Lewis and Harris (), or Lewis with Harris, is a Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides, around from the Scottish mainland. With an area of (approximately 1% the size of Great Britain) it is the largest island in Scotland and the list of isl ...

#Loch Langavat () is a loch in the

Ness Ness or NESS may refer to: Places Australia * Ness, Wapengo, a heritage-listed natural coastal area in New South Wales United Kingdom * Ness, Cheshire, England, a village * Ness, Lewis, the most northerly area on Lewis, Scotland, UK * Cuspate ...

district of

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

. It lies midway between the

Butt of Lewis The Butt of Lewis () is the most northerly point on the Island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The headland, which lies in the North Atlantic, is frequently battered by heavy swells and storms and is marked by the Butt of Lewis Lig ...

and Tolsta Head, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of

Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...

. #Loch Langabhat () is the biggest freshwater loch on Lewis. It is over 7 miles long and at the head of the Grimersta system, with spectacular scenery and frequent sightings of

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

s and

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

. The loch is fished for

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

. The loch lies at above sea level, its total area is and its maximum depth . #Loch Langabhat () is a small loch north of

Carlabhagh Carloway ( ) is a crofting township and a district on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The district has a population of around 500. Carloway township is within the parish of Uig, and is situated on the A858. ...

, Lewis. #Loch Langabhat () is a small loch northwest of

Gress Gress (), a hamlet on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, is adjacent to the larger village of Back. Gress is within the parish of Stornoway. Between 1919 and 1921, Gress – along with nearby Coll and Tong – was the scene of several land raids. H ...

, Lewis. #Loch Langabhat () is a loch about 700 m long west of

Amhuinnsuidhe Amhuinnsuidhe () is a settlement on Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The settlement is also within the parish of Harris. Amhuinnsuidhe is centred on the country house, Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, which is adjacent to the B887 road. Geography A ...

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle ...

. #Loch Langabhat () in central Harris is in a steep-sided valley and more than long. There is another Loch Langabhat on

Benbecula Benbecula ( ; or ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census, it had a resident population of 1,283 with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It is in a zone administered by ...

at , which is over long. According to Sinclair (1890), John Macaulay, known as Iain Ruadh MacDhughaill, "was celebrated as a hunter. He was drowned in Loch Langabhat whilst swimming to an Island in the middle of that lake, an t-Eilaln Dubh. A large stone marks the spot on which his body was laid after it was taken out of the water. His bereaved mother used to visit this spot on almost every Wednesday of the year. He was born about the year 1600."Sinclair, Alexander Maclean (1890
"LE A MHATHAIR"
Archive.org. Retrieved 20 December 2009. It is not clear which of the Loch Langavats this incident refers to.

References

* Murray, Sir John and Pullar, Laurence (1908) ''Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909''. London; Royal Geographical Society. * Sinclair, Alexander Maclean (1890) ''The Gaelic bards : from 1411 to 1517'' .e. 1715Edinburgh; J. Thin

Footnotes

Isle of Lewis Langavat Langavat Langavat {{WesternIsles-geo-stub