Rescobie Loch is a post glacial fresh water body located in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Rescobie, to the East of

Forfar Forfar (; , ) is the county town of Angus, Scotland, and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million-pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town had a population of 16,280. The town ...

, in the county of

Angus, Scotland Angus (; ) is one of the 32 Local government in Scotland, local government council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City (council area), Dundee City and Per ...

. The

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 ...

is fed by Lunan Water which enters from the West and exits to the East.

History

Rescobie's name may have originated from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

“Ros Sgolban” meaning "the wood of splinters or thorns“. Historically it has also been referred to as Rosolpin, Roscolpin, Roscolbyn, Roscoby and Rescobis. Historically Rescobie's importance far exceeded its present-day status. Rescobie Loch is believed to be the location of Rescobie Castle also referred to as Barnsdale Castle. There is no trace of the castle today. In 1097 King

Donald III of Scotland Donald III ( Medieval Gaelic: ''Domnall mac Donnchada''; Modern Gaelic: ''Dòmhnall mac Dhonnchaidh''; –1099) was King of Alba (Scotland) from 1093–1094 and 1094–1097. He was known as ''Domnall Bán'' or "Donald the Fair", anglicized a ...

was dethroned and held captive in Rescobie Castle where his brother Edgar blinded him in both eyes. He died in 1099 and was buried initially at Dunkeld Cathedral before being finally laid to rest at the Scottish Island of

Iona Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...

and was the last of the early Scottish Kings to be buried there.

Biodiversity

Rescobie Loch together with its neighbour, Balgavies Loch, have been classified as a Biological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI code 1345) and as such are protected and monitored. It is a diverse habitat for both wildlife and plants.

Fishing

In the early 1960s the Rescobie Loch Development AssociationRescobie Loch Development Association
/ref> was formed to manage and run the fishing. Only

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is in ...

is allowed from either bank or boat and the loch is regularly stocked with

Rainbow Trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

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 ...

Gallery

Image:Rescobie_Loch_View_West_End.jpg, Rescobie Loch - View West towards boathouse Image:Rescobie_Loch_View_North.jpg, Rescobie Loch - View North towards Turin Hill Image:Rescobie Loch view East.jpg, Rescobie Loch - View East Image:Rescobie Loch - geograph.org.uk - 215659.jpg, Rescobie Loch - View South Image:Rescobie_Loch_OS_Opendata_Map.jpg, Rescobie Loch, OS Streetview Map

References

{{reflist
Map of Rescobie Loch
Bathymetrical Survey of the Freshwater Lochs of Scotland 1897–1909 (

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS; ; ) is one of Scotland's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of ...

) Lochs of Angus, Scotland Freshwater lochs of Scotland