Loch Lomond ( ; Scottish Gaelic: Loch Laomainn) is a freshwater Scottish loch that spans the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland. Traditionally forming part of the boundary between the counties of Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire, it is today split between the council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire. Its southern shores are about 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of the centre of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. The loch forms part of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which was established in 2002. From a limnological perspective, Loch Lomond is classified as a dimictic lake, typically undergoing two mixing periods each year. This occurs in the spring and autumn when the water column becomes uniformly mixed due to temperature-driven density changes Loch Lomond is 36.4 kilometres (22.6 mi) long and between one and eight kilometres (1⁄2–5 miles) wide, with a surface area of 71 km2 (27.5 mi2). It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area; in the United Kingdom, it is surpassed only by Lough Neagh and Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. The loch has a maximum depth of about 190 metres (620 ft) in the deeper northern portion, although the southern part of the loch rarely exceeds 30 metres (98 ft) in depth. The total volume of Loch Lomond is 2.6 km3 (0.62 cu mi), making it the second largest lake in Great Britain, after Loch Ness, by water volume. Due to its considerable depth and latitudinal location, Loch Lomond exhibits thermal stratification during the summer months, with a distinct epilimnion, metalimnion, and hypolimnion forming in deeper areas. These stratification patterns have important implications for nutrient cycling and aquatic ecology within the loch. During periods of stratification, a decrease in hypolimnetic oxygen can occur in the deeper northern basin, which can affect the species distribution patterns. Loch Lomond is considered oligotrophic (north of the Highland Boundary Fault) to mesotrophic (south of the fault), with relatively low to moderate nutrient levels and generally good water quality, although localised pressures such as agriculture and tourism can contribute to nutrient enrichment. The loch contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles. Loch Lomond is a popular leisure destination and is featured in the song "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond". The loch is surrounded by hills, including Ben Lomond on the eastern shore, which is 973.7 metres (3,195 ft) in height and the most southerly of the Scottish Munro peaks. A 2005 poll of Radio Times readers voted Loch Lomond as the sixth greatest natural wonder in Britain.
Etymology Loch Lomond takes its modern name from the highest peak in the area, Ben Lomond (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Laomainn), whose name means "beacon mountain". An older name for the loch was Loch Leamhna, Leamhna being the genitive form of Leamhain, the Gaelic name for the River Leven (meaning "elm water").
History
Origins and habitation People first arrived in the Loch Lomond area around 5000 years ago, during the Neolithic era. They left traces of their presence at places around the loch, including Balmaha, Luss, and Inchlonaig. Crannogs, artificial islands used as dwellings for over five millennia, were built at points in the loch. The Romans built a double-row of defense forts within sight of the loch at Drumquhassle in the first century, and was built to protect themselves against the Highland tribes during their invasion of Scotland. Known as a "glen-blocker" fort, it dates back to the Flavian dynasty (69 – 96 AD). The crannog known as "The Kitchen", located off the island of Clairinsh, may have later been used as a place for important meetings by Clan Buchanan whose clan seat had been on Clairinsh since 1225: this usage would be in line with other crannogs such as that at Finlaggan on Islay, used by Clan Donald. During the Early Medieval period viking raiders sailed up Loch Long, hauled their longboats over at the narrow neck of land at Tarbet, and sacked several islands in the loch. The area surrounding the loch later become part of the province of Lennox, which covered much of the area of the later county of Dunbartonshire.
Loch Lomond became a popular destination for travellers, such that when James Boswell and Samuel Johnson visited the islands of Loch Lomond on the return from their tour of the Western Isles in 1773, the area was already firmly enough established as a destination for Boswell to note that it would be unnecessary to attempt any description.
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