Eglinton Loch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eglinton Loch | |
|---|---|
 The loch from the outflow boardwalk area | |
  Eglinton Loch The location of Eglinton Loch, North Ayrshire | |
| Location | Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°38′43.0″N 4°39′36.0″W / 55.645278°N 4.660000°W |
| Type | Freshwater loch |
| Primary inflows | Lugton Water (during floods), rainwater and field drainage |
| Primary outflows | Eglinton Burn running to the Lugton Water |
| Basin countries | Scotland |
| Surface area | 6.5 ha (16 acres) |
| Average depth | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Islands | 3 |
| Settlements | Kilwinning |
Eglinton Loch (NS 232698 642303) is a small freshwater loch in the North Ayrshire Council Areas (KA12 8TA), lying in a holm of the Lugton Water near Irvine and Kilwinning, within Eglinton Country Park, in the parish of Kilwinning. The loch has 3 small islands within it and is one of a number of Ayrshire's artificial lochs, created by mineral excavation.
The 6.5 ha loch, 6 metres deep, was created in 1975 through the extraction of materials used in the construction of the A 78 (T) Irvine and Kilwinning bypass. It is marked on old maps as being an area liable to flooding and was the site of the jousting matches at the 1839 Eglinton Tournament. It is not very well stocked with coarse fish anymore, and is no longer as popular for angling as it once was[1] but remains a popular spot for bird watchers. The Lugton Water runs through the park and several weirs were built at intervals along the river to raise the water level for ornamental reasons.
The Eglinton Tournament
The ground chosen for the Eglinton Tournament of 1839 was low, almost marshy pasture used as rough grazing, with grassy slopes rising on all sides.[4] The Knights on horseback and their retinue reached the tilt yard ('C' on the map) via an enclosed ride ('G' on the map), whilst the guests and visitors made their way to the stands via the route marked 'F' on the map illustrated. Both groups crossed over the three arched Gothic Eglinton Tournament Bridge. An 1837 map of Eglinton Castle, Grounds and Tilt yard shows that the tilt yard was already in existence at this early date, but it is not recorded what its fate was after the tournament was over.[5]
Uses
The loch is popular with anglers and contains bream, roach, rudd, perch and pike. Catches of carp and tench have been reported on occasion, as have brown trout, washed in during floods.[6]
