THE FRESH-WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. 
277 
Loch Garve (see Plate LXI.). — Loch Garve lies about 5 miles to the 
west of Strathpeffer, and to the south-west of the mighty Ben Wyvis 
(3295 feet). It receives the drainage from a large tract of mountainous 
country lying to the north and north-west. The body of the loch 
trends in a north-west and south-east direction, and is somewhat 
elliptical in outline, while the south-eastern end takes a slight bend 
to the north-east. The loch is over miles in extreme length, with 
a maximum breadth of half a mile, the mean breadth being over 
one-third of a mile. Its waters cover an area of about 380 acres, or 
over half a square mile, and it drains an area of 114 square miles — an 
area nearly 200 times greater than that of the loch. The maximum 
depth of 105 feet ‘was observed near the centre of the loch, but 
towards the south-western shore. The volume of water is estimated 
at 721 million cubic feet, and the mean depth at 43J feet. The loch 
forms on the whole a simple basin, with a slight shoaling at the 
position of the bend in the outline of the loch. The 10-feet and 25-feet 
contours extend from end to end of the loch, following approximately 
the form of the shore-line ; but the deeper contours are confined to 
the wide body of the loch, the 50-feet basin being nearly a mile, and 
the 100-feet basin nearly a quarter of a mile, in length. Off the 
central portions of both the north-eastern and south-western shores 
the slope is moderately steep. The longitudinal section A-B on the 
map is taken along the axis of maximum depth, and shows the slight 
deepening of the water near the south-eastern end. The areas between 
the consecutive contour-lines, and the percentages to the total area 
of the loch, are as follows : — 
0 to 25 feet 
131 
acres 
34*5 per cent. 
25 „ 50. ,, 
104 
27*4 
55 
50 „ 75 „ 
7*2 
55 
18*8 
55 
75 „ 100 „ 
64 
55 
16*9 
5 5 
Over 100 ,, 
9 
55 
2*4 
5 5 
380 
55 
100*0 
From this table it will be seen that nearly two-thirds of the entire 
lake-floor is covered by less than 50 feet of water. Loch Garve was 
surveyed on August 15, 1902, when the elevation of the lake-surface 
was found to be 218*8 feet above the sea ; when visited by the Ordnance 
Survey officers on August 15, 1871, the elevation was 219*6 feet above 
sea-level. 
T ernperature Observations . — The following table gives the results of 
observations made in Loch Garve in 1901 by Mr. Clark, and in 1902 
by the Lake Survey : — 
