Loch Linnhe

Loch Linnhe is a sea loch in the Highlands, stretching along the Great Glen Fault. Its upper stretch is called the black pool in Gaelic, while the wider lower part is the salty pool. The loch runs for about thirty-five kilometres from its mouth at the Firth of Lorne to Fort William at the northern end. A branch southeast of Lismore opens into the Lynn of Lorne, a wider section of water. Three smaller lochs feed into its sides: Loch Eil at the north, Loch Leven just below Corran, and Loch Creran into the Lynn of Lorne. Local folklore remembers Loch Linnhe as the home of an each-uisge, a water horse said to carry children before drowning them. The 19th-century Gaelic writer Fr. Allan MacDonald grew up in Fort William and recalled how children feared riding any horse for fear it might be the each-uisge. The loch’s Gaelic names reflect its dark waters and salt content where fresh and sea water meet. Its length follows the line of an ancient geological fault that cuts across Scotland. Visitors reach the loch at Fort William, where the River Lochy meets the water. The narrow upper section near Corran is flanked by steep hills, while the wider southern part offers views across to Lismore. The Lynn of Lorne branches off toward the island of Lismore, creating a sheltered inlet. Along the shores lie small harbours and scattered settlements, with the loch serving as a route for boats heading to the Caledonian Canal. The water changes colour from dark peat-brown upstream to a deeper blue where it meets the sea.