Loch Katrine (LKT)
Loch Katrine is a freshwater loch and scenic attraction in the Trossachs area of the Scottish Highlands. It is within the district of Stirling. The loch is 13 kilometres ( mi) long and 1 kilometre ( mi) wide at the widest point and runs the length of Strath Gartney. It is a popular destination for tourists and day visitors from Glasgow and nearby towns. The loch derives its name from the term cateran from the Gaelic ceathairne, a collective word meaning cattle thief or possibly peasantry. Historically this referred to a band of fighting men of a clan; hence the term applied to marauders or cattle-lifters, which Rob Roy MacGregor, a respectable cattle owner was erroneously accused of being. It is the fictional setting of Sir Walter Scott's poem The Lady of the Lake and of the subsequent opera by Gioachino Rossini, La donna del lago. Loch Katrine is now owned by Scottish Water, and has been the primary water reservoir for much of the city of Glasgow and its surrounding areas since 1859. The water level has been artificially raised by around metres ( ft) - the loch can be drawn down by a maximum of 2 metres ( ft). The water drawn down provides gravitational flow, using the Katrine aqueduct, to the Milngavie water treatment works via two 41 kilometres (25 mi) long aqueducts and 21 kilometres (13 mi) of tunnel. Milngavie itself is situated at almost 122 metres (400 ft) above sea level - sufficient to provide adequate water pressure to the majority of the city without the need for pumping. The system can deliver up to 230,000,000 litres (51,000,000 imp gal) a day. Construction was started in 1855 and Queen Victoria opened the works in 1859. The aqueduct project was built under the guidance of the eminent civil engineer John Frederick Bateman (1810–1889), an example of his engineering prowess that can still be seen working today. The second aqueduct was opened in 1901.
Size: 7752px × 5035px
Location: Loch Katrine Scotland
Photo credit: © Rik Hamilton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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