Loch Morar

Loch Morar (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Mòrair) is a freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is the fifth-largest loch by surface area in Scotland, at , and the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles with a maximum depth of . The loch was created by glacial action around 10,000 years ago, and has a surface elevation of above sea level. It separates the traditional district of North Morar (which contains the village of Morar), from Arisaig and Moidart. Loch Morar is long, has a surface area of , and is the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles with a maximum depth of . In 1910, John Murray and Laurence Pullar found it to have a mean depth of and a total volume of during their survey of Scottish lochs. The bottom is deepened below the United Kingdom Continental Shelf, and until 1943, when a depth of was observed in the Inner Sound, it was believed to be the deepest water in the United Kingdom. The surface of the loch is above sea level. The water of the loch is clear and oligotrophic, with a minimal intake of nutrients, making it a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The main inflow is the River Meoble on the southern side, which drains from Loch Beoraid, although there are three other major inflows at the eastern end of the loch and a stream draining a complex of lochans to the north-west of Loch Morar. The outflow is the River Morar at the western end, which at a few hundred metres long is one of the shortest rivers in the British Isles. At the shallower western end of the loch, there are a number of sizeable forested islands. Swordland Lodge, on the northern shore of the loch, was used as training school STS 23b during the Second World War by the Special Operations Executive. A 750 kW hydroelectric power station with a hydraulic head of was built on the River Morar and commissioned in 1948. At the western end of the loch is the village of Morar, which is between Arisaig and Mallaig on the coastal A830 road. The settlements of Bracorina and Bracara are located along the northern shore of the loch, but there is no road along the southern shore.