32 
BATHYMETRICAL SURVEY OF 
LOCHS OF THE BADCALL BASIN. 
Of numerous small lochs draining into Badcall bay, Loch na h-Airidh 
Sleibhe was the only one which could be sounded at the time of the visit 
of the Lake Survey. 
Loch na h-Airidh Sleibhe (see Plate XII.). — Loch na h-Airidh Sleibhe 
lies little more than half a mile to the south-east of Loch a’ Bhaid Daraich, 
the outflowing river running in a south-westerly direction into Badcall 
bay. The main body of the loch trends north-west and south-east, and is 
two-thirds of a mile in length, with a maximum breadth of one-third of a 
mile. Its waters cover an area of about 68 acres, while the area draining 
into it is about square miles. The maximum depth of 113 feet was 
observed about a quarter of a mile from the north-west end. The volume 
of water is estimated at 131 million cubic feet, and the mean depth at 
about 44^ feet. The loch was surveyed on September 10, 1902, but the 
elevation of the lake-surface above the sea could not be determined. The 
loch forms a simple basin, the bottom sloping down on all sides towards 
the deepest part, which lies towards the north-west end. The shallower 
contours coincide approximately with the outline of the loch, and in some 
places deep water approaches close to the shore, as, for instance, off the 
northern shore, in the vicinity of the deepest part, where a sounding in 43 
feet was taken about 40 feet from shore, indicating a gradient exceeding 
1 in 1. The approximate areas between the contour-lines, and the 
percentages to the total area of the loch, are given in the following 
table : — 
Feet. 
Acres. 
Per cent. 
Oto 25 
. . • 
24 
36 
25 „ 
50 
. . . 
15 
22 
50 „ 
75 
» . . 
15 
22 
75 „ 100 
11 
16 
Over 100 
... 
... 
3 
68 
4 
100 
Temperature Observations . — The following series of temperatures was 
taken in the deepest part of the loch at 3.30 p.m. on the date of the 
survey : — 
