Loch Ruthven
lake in Highland, Scotland, UK, outflows west via a watercourse to River Farigaig
Loch Ruthven is a large loch which lies to the southeast of Loch Ness in the Highland region of Scotland. It is 2.25 miles (3.62 km) long, extends over an area of 368 acres (149 ha) and is up to 42 feet (13 m) deep. The most important breeding site in the UK for Slavonian grebes, it has one of the highest populations of this species in Europe. These rare birds can also be found in several other local lochs. The RSPB has established a reserve at Loch Ruthven.
Loch Ruthven was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on 18 May 1987.
Loch Ruthven was designated a Ramsar site on 31 August 1992. Loch Ruthven SSSI is also Loch Ruthven Special Protection Area (SPA) for the Slavonian grebe. In addition Loch Ruthven is designated a Special Area of Conservation as a body of inland water, for the plant species associated with it, and as a habitat for otters.
References
External links
JNCC: Profile Loch Ruthven
Northern Ecological Services (2006).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Loch Ruthven” is lake in Highland, Scotland, UK, outflows west via a watercourse to River Farigaig. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Loch, Ruthven and lake, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “lake in Highland, Scotland, UK, outflows west via a watercourse to River Farigaig” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3257709. Authority coordinates are 57.318, -4.293. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1987, 1992 and 2006.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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This entry incorporates text from “Loch Ruthven” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.