Spring Loch Leven Perthshire Scotland



Tour Scotland Spring 4K travel video of Loch Leven on windy visit by Kinross, Perthshire. Loch Leven, Scottish Gaelic: Loch Lìobhann, is a fresh water loch located immediately to the East of the town of Kinross. There are seven islands on the loch, the largest being St Serf's Inch which was the home of a Culdee and then an Augustinian monastic community, St Serf's Inch Priory. There was a monastic community on the island in the 12th century. The monastery produced a series of Gaelic language charters from the 11th and 12th centuries which were translated into Latin in the late 12th century. It was here that Prior Andrew of Wyntoun wrote the Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland. Loch Leven Castle is strongly associated with Mary, Queen of Scots, who was imprisoned here in 1567 and 1568, and forced to abdicate as queen, before escaping with the help of her gaoler's family. After her escape her forces were defeated at the Battle of Langside, and she fled to England. As the largest lowland loch in Scotland, Loch Leven is an important site for waterfowl, with up to 35,000 birds present in the winter months. These birds migrate from a variety of places, such as Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Siberia and northern and central Europe. The loch is also a popular location for fishing mainly for brown trout and wildfowling. The two main fish species present in Loch Leven are brown trout and perch: the loch's trout have long been noted for their unusual colour and high quality. Other fish living in the loch include sticklebacks, pike, eels, and minnows. Loch Leven is strongly associated with the sport of curling, and Kinross Curling Club, founded 1668, is reputedly the oldest in the world.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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