Loch Dochfour

Loch Dochfour lies in the Scottish Highlands just southwest of Inverness, forming part of the Great Glen. The loch’s southern end connects through the narrow Bona channel to Loch Ness, while its northern end feeds into the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal. The A82 road runs close to the water, partly on an embankment that crosses the loch. Before the canal was built, Loch Ness ended at Lochend where it flowed into the River Ness. Thomas Telford’s canal project altered the landscape by raising water levels with the Ness Weir. The Ness Weir, also called Dochfour Weir, was designed by Thomas Telford and built between 1825 and 1830. Originally 90 metres long, it was later extended by 430 metres with pitched panels between timber boards. In 1972–73 the weir was modified with sluices for the Foyers pumped-storage scheme. A major reinforcement completed in 2018 added nearly 500 metres of steel piling using over 10,000 metres of steel. The project was funded by the Scottish Government and carried out by Mackenzie Construction. Visitors see a broad stretch of water bordered by the A82 and the embankment road. The loch appears as a wide section of the River Ness above the weir, or as an extension of Loch Ness northwards. The reinforced weir now stands 8 metres high and 1,150 metres long, holding back around 100 million cubic metres of water. The surrounding catchment covers 1,810 square kilometres with an average annual rainfall of 1,851 millimetres. Plans are under discussion to raise the weir further to improve water control and support future hydroelectric projects.