Loch Assynt

Loch Assynt lies in the Highlands, eight kilometres north-east of Lochinver. It stretches for nearly ten kilometres between the mountains Canisp, Quinag and Beinn Uidhe, fed by streams from Loch Awe and Loch Maol a’ Choire. The loch drains through the River Inver to the sea at Loch Inver, its surface rising about sixty-six metres above sea level. The loch holds excellent fishing for trout, sea-trout and salmon, and Ardvreck Castle stands on a promontory on its north shore. Local legend speaks of MacLeod’s daughter Eimhir, who fled beneath the water and became the mermaid of Assynt. Some claim to have seen her weeping on the rocks, her form shifting between woman and sea creature. Geologists from Aberdeen University link the landscape to a meteorite strike over a billion years ago. The tale of Clootie’s rage also explains the Moine Thrust belt, where the European plate pushed westwards. The loch’s changing waters and the ruined castle frame a place where myth and rock meet.