Loch Beannach, Assynt
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| Loch Beannach, Assynt | |
|---|---|
 Loch Beannach in the Little Assynt Estate. Native woodland survives on the islands | |
  Loch Beannach, Assynt | |
| Location | NC13852637 |
| Coordinates | 58°11′20″N 5°09′43″W / 58.18889999°N 5.16194439°W |
| Type | freshwater loch |
| Max. length | 2.00 km (1.24 mi)[1] |
| Max. width | 0.53 km (0.33 mi)[1] |
| Surface area | 49 ha (120 acres)[2] |
| Average depth | 13.45 ft (4.10 m)[1] |
| Max. depth | 32 ft (9.8 m)[1] |
| Water volume | 70,883,210.58 cu ft (2,007,189.000 m3)[1] |
| Shore length1 | 100 km (62 mi) [2] |
| Surface elevation | 68 m (223 ft)[2] |
| Max. temperature | 52.5 °F (11.4 °C) |
| Min. temperature | 52.00 °F (11.11 °C) |
| Islands | 21 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Loch Beannach is a small v-shaped loch, located 2 miles to the west of Loch Assynt and 3 miles northeast of Lochinver within the Assynt area of Sutherland, Scotland.[3][2][1] The loch is located in an area known as the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area,[4] one of 40 such areas in Scotland.[5]
The northeastern part of the loch is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[6] The specific area covered are the Downy Birch woodland on eight islands within the loch.[6] The woodland is a prime example of the type that would have covered the area extensively in the past.[6] The area of the site SSSI overlaps with the areas general Assynt Lochs SSSI,[7] that is notable for its population of black-throated divers where the loch is one of the nesting sites for this species.[6] The Loch is also a nesting site for common gull, European golden plover, meadow pipit, red grouse, skylark, barn swallow and wheatear.[2] The water-lily Nuphar pumila grows around the loch.[2]
Township
To the east of the loch is a former crofting township that was cleared during the 19th Century.[8] Its name was never discovered.[8] It consists of 11 former crofts, consisting of sizes of 3.0m by 2.0m to 16.0m by 5.0m in two groups.[8] The evidence for lazy bed cultivation is still visible.[8] On the stream that issues from Loch an t- Sabhail are the remains of a corn-mill and a dam further upstream.[8]
