Loch Earn

Loch Earn is a long, narrow freshwater loch in the southern highlands of Scotland, stretching between Perth and Kinross and Stirling. It runs roughly seven miles from Lochearnhead village in the west to St Fillans in the east, where the River Earn begins its eighty-kilometre journey to the Firth of Tay. The loch is about three-quarters of a mile wide at its broadest and reaches eighty-seven metres deep near its centre. Ben Vorlich rises steeply to the south, its pyramid shape catching the eye above the water. On the southern shore stand Edinample Castle, built in 1584 by Duncan Campbell, and Ardvorlich House, home of the Stewarts since 1580. The loch has an unusual seiche, a slow oscillation of water that repeats every sixteen hours. Wind pushes surface water to one end, then the water flows back, mixing warmer and colder layers below. Water sports are centred on Lochearnhead, where sailing, canoeing and water skiing take place. The loch is regularly stocked with brown and rainbow trout, and fishing is allowed by permit from shore or boat. In 1906, artist Edith Holden cycled the north shore and admired the larches there. In 1964, The Beatles stayed at St Fillans and took boats onto the loch. Visitors find a quiet shoreline lined with villages and historic buildings. Lochearnhead offers facilities for water sports and fishing permits. St Fillans has the Four Seasons Hotel where The Beatles once stayed. The castle and house on the south bank recall 16th-century owners and their clans. Ben Vorlich draws hill walkers for its steep ascent and wide views. The loch’s seiche and the mixing waters create subtle currents and changing reflections on the surface.