Loch Coulter

56°03′5.6″N 3°59′13.3″W / 56.051556°N 3.987028°W / 56.051556; -3.987028

South shore, Loch Coulter Reservoir Westward view with Dundaff Hill in the background

Loch Coulter is a loch and reservoir in Stirlingshire. It lies to the north-west of Denny and north-east of the Carron Valley.

The Loch flow towards Stirling along the Loch Coulter Burn and provides drinking water for the area. It is feed from the Auchenbowie burn from the River Carron. The loch is also used for angling and is leased to LASAC, the Larbert and Stenhousemuir Angling Club. The waters of the loch also supply the nearby Howietoun Fishery established by James Ramsay-Gibson-Maitland in the 19th century.

History

Historically in St Ninians parish, the loch was affected by an earthquake in 1755 that disturbed the morphology of the loch.

The loch occurs naturally but was raised and extended in the 19th century. At this time, an island at the western end of the loch was submerged revealing the potential remains of a crannog.

In 2011, the loch was affected by toxic algae.

In 2025, a rare moss, Ptychostomum cyclophyllum (Round-leaved bryum), was transported to the loch to revive the species. The moss was found only in one other place in the UK until established at Loch Coulter and Threipmuir Reservoir.

References

  1. 1 2 "Loch Coulter Reservoir from The Gazetteer for Scotland". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  2. 1 2 "River Carron catchment profile" (PDF). Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  3. ↑ Club., Stenhousemuir Angling. "Loch Coulter". lasac.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  4. ↑ "Larbert & Stenhousemuir Angling Club". Angling Scotland. 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  5. ↑ unfamous (2014-06-26), Loch Coulter, retrieved 2025-12-09
  6. ↑ London, Linnean Society of (1898). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. Linnean Society of London. p. 42. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  7. ↑ Nimmo, William (1880). The History of Stirlingshire. Hamilton, Adams & Company. p. 207. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  8. 1 2 "Loch Coulter". trove.scot. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  9. ↑ Tregaskis, Shiona (2011-08-05). "British lakes and canals hit by toxic algae scum". The Guardian. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  10. 1 2 "Scotland's Rarest Moss Finds New Home at Stirling Reservoirs". Scottish Water. 2025-09-18. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  11. 1 2 "Conservationists boost survival chances of Scotland's rarest moss". NatureScot. 2025-09-18. Retrieved 2025-12-09.