Loch Etchachan

Loch Etchachan is a remote freshwater loch on the central Cairngorms plateau in the Cairngorms National Park. It lies in the eastern Highlands of Scotland at 927 metres above sea level. The loch is the highest waterbody of its size in the United Kingdom. Nearby to the west is Loch Coire an Lochain, and to the east stands Lochan Buidhe between Cairn Lochan and Ben Macdui. The loch sits 664 feet lower than Loch A'an and Cairn Gorm to the north. To the northeast Beinn Mheadhoin has a broad and flat summit. West of the loch the plateau of Carn Etchachan rises steeply as the lower slopes of Ben Macdui, the second highest mountain in the UK. From the east the loch flows into Little Loch Etchachan, which passes through Creagan a' Choire Etchachan and Stobb Coire Etchachan into the Derry Burn. In 2009 members of Inverness Rowing Club carried a boat 18.5 miles to the loch and rowed on its waters for the first time. In 2011 members of Dundee Mountain Club brought a windsurf board and ironing board to the loch to windsurf and iron simultaneously. In 2024 freedivers from NoTanx Apnea reported crystal clear water and a depth of over twenty metres with a muddy bottom.