Loch Watten
| Loch Watten | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Loch Watten | |
| Location | Caithness |
| Coordinates | 58°29′25″N 3°19′46″W / 58.49028°N 3.32944°W |
| Type | freshwater loch |
| Basin countries | Scotland |
Loch Watten is a natural loch in the River Wick drainage basin in Caithness, Scotland.[1]
Name
The name is almost a tautology, but not perfectly: The word "loch" (of Gaelic origin) means "lake", of course. The Norse word vatn means "water", in general,[2] including terms like brunn-vatn ("fountain water") and regn-vatn ("rain water"), but is also found in the names of several lakes, such as Þingvallavatn and Myvatn in Iceland, and Røssvatnet and Møsvatn in Norway, similar to some English naming customs, e. g. Kielder Water.
Geography
Loch Watten has a surface of 373 ha, a mean depth of 2.6 m and a maximum depth of 3.7 m. The surface level is 17 m A.O.D.. Its catchment area comprises 55,78 km2. Its main tributaries are the Quoynee Burn (from Loch Scarmclate[3]) and the Gillock Burn, merging 800 metres before their entry. The outlet towards Wick River has a length of about 500 metres and is called Loch Burn.
Usage
Loch Watten is well known as a good fly fishing loch for brown trout with the local village Watten being located to the south.
References
- ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 11 Thurso & Dunbeath (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2009. ISBN 9780319231630.
- ^ Cleasby & Vigfusson Dictionary of Old Norse, headword vatn
- ^ UK Lakes Portal, waterbody ID 2499, Loch Scarmclate
External links
Media related to Loch Watten at Wikimedia Commons
- UK Lakes Portal, waterbody ID 2712, Loch Watten
- Historic Environment Scotland. The map search function of this portal on protected monuments provides topographic maps up to highest scales.