January 12th winter photograph of The Lake of Menteith, Port of Menteith, Scotland. This Scottish loch is located on the Flanders Moss, the flood plain of the upper reaches of the rivers Forth and Teith, upstream of Stirling. Until the early 1800s, the more usual Scottish name of Loch of Menteith was used. The only settlement of any size on the Lake of Menteith is Port of Menteith.
January 12th winter photograph of The Lake of Menteith, Port of Menteith, Scotland. The Loch is not very deep and can freeze over completely in very cold winters. If the ice becomes thick enough, at least seven inches, an outdoor curling tournament called The Bonspiel or the Grand Match is held on the loch. The event can attract thousands of curlers despite its rarity. The last Grand Match was held in 1979. The planned 2010 Bonspiel was abandoned on health and safety grounds but many curlers turned up anyway..
January 12th winter photograph of The Lake of Menteith, Port of Menteith, Scotland. The unusual Lake Menteith name is believed to be a corruption of the Lowland Scots Laich o Menteith, where "laich" simply means "low place".
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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2 comments:
Now that's proper curling! Beats and indoor rink. Great photos.
Sandy, I've just been reading a book about Robert Cunninghame-Graham, one of Scotland's unsung heroes from this very locality. On the day the Bonspiel was due to happen I was reading about him going over to the islands in the Lake. Spooky!
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