Loch Morlich (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Mhùrlaig)[citation needed] is a freshwater loch in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of Highland, Scotland near Aviemore. The loch is home to a watersports centre with kayaking, sailing, and windsurfing among the activities available. There is also a yacht club and cycling routes around the loch. The loch is at the foot of the Cairngorm mountains,[1] just a few miles from Aviemore.
Loch Morlich | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Location | Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland |
Coordinates | 57°10′N 3°42′W |
Type | freshwater loch |
Basin countries | Scotland |
Long stretches of its shoreline are formed of sandy beaches. In 2009, these beaches received a Seaside Award by the Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) campaign, the first time that this had been given to a freshwater loch.[2] At 300 metres above sea level, it also became the highest beach to be given this award.[3]
When examined closely the sand of these beaches contains large amounts of broken glass. However, this glass does not come from careless tourists discarding bottles irresponsibly but was, in fact, left over from World War II when the area around Loch Morlich was used as a commando school. In particular, it was used as a training area for the Kompani Linge (the Norwegian Independent (army) Company, trained by the British Special Operations Executive) because of the close resemblance of the area, both in landscape and climate, to Norway. A memorial to the Kompani Linge can be found outside the Glenmore Forest Park visitor centre.
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.