Loch Indaal

Loch Indaal slopes gently from its northeast corner down to its opening into the Atlantic. At the mouth of the loch, which lies between Portnahaven to the north and the American Monument on The Oa to the south, the depth is around 40 metres, rising steadily upwards towards the northeast and reaching a depth of barely 10 metres between Laggan Point and Port Charlotte. The waters of the loch are calm and safe but the approaches are hazardous especially for small vessels. There are tidal streams, eddies, races and heavy overfalls both in the east and west flowing streams of the tide. ==The Big Strand and Laggan Bay==

The eastern shore of the loch is taken up by the length of the Big Strand, the area as a whole being known as Laggan Bay. The Big Strand itself is sandy along its whole length being broken by a rocky outcrop roughly half way along its length at Glenegedale Airport. In the north the Big Strand is accessible by car along a stretch of unmade road leading from Island farm, on a road signed off the A846 south of Bowmore. The river Laggan empties into the ocean near the northern point of the beach. In the south the Big Strand is accessible from Kintra Farm on the Oa. Glenegedale Airport has two runways, although one is not in use. The approach from to the northwest runway takes aircraft over Lochindaal at very low altitude giving excellent views of Laggan Bay. ==See also==

File:Loch Indaal, Islay - geograph.org.uk - 81956.jpg|Looking west across the loch to the Rinns at low tide File:Port Charlotte - Loch Indaal.jpg|Looking north from Port Charlotte across the loch to Jura File:Bigstrand.jpg|The Big Strand File:Towards Traigh Cill an Rubha - geograph.org.uk - 1163378.jpg|Towards Traigh Cill an Rubha Looking across the head of Loch Indaal in late afternoon File:The Shore At Gortan, Loch Indaal - geograph.org.uk - 699390.jpg|The shore at Gortan, Loch Indaal looking along the edge of the shore at low tide ==References==