Top 10 biggest lakes in the UK

Lochs, loughs, llynnau and lakes – whatever language you use, the UK has some cracking expanses of fresh water. But which are the biggest? And where can you find them?

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Published: Wednesday, 15 May 2024 at 12:09 PM

From the serene waters of Loch Lomond to the stunning expanse of Lake Windermere, discover the top destinations for scenic views, outdoor activities, and wildlife encounters.

The Top 10 biggest lakes in the UK

Lough Neagh 

The picturesque, freshwater Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. Credit: Getty

The UK’s largest lake by area, the immense Lough Neagh dominates the map of Northern Ireland, submerging nearly 150 square miles of it beneath its relatively shallow waters (averaging just 9m).

The vast numbers of eels that swim here from the Atlantic are joined by dollaghan, Lough Neagh’s unique variety of brown trout.

Lower Lough Erne

As the lough’s name suggests, there is also an Upper Lough Erne, to which it is connected via the River Erne. Credit: Getty

Tucked away in the very far west of Northern Ireland, the UK’s second largest lake (or lough in the Irish form) covers over 42 square miles.

Probably named after Érann – a goddess associated with travelling – there are no fewer than three mythological explanations of how the lough came into being.

It’s festooned with over 100 islands, the largest of which, Boa Island, is home to an ancient carved stone statue feted by Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney in the poem January God. 

The shallow upper lough is about a third of the lower lough’s size but is still the UK’s sixth largest lake, turning the county of Fermanagh into a magical water-world.

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond acts as a gateway from the Lowlands to the Highlands. Credit: Getty

A favourite with day-trippers from Glasgow, Loch Lomond not only boasts the ‘bonnie bonnie banks’ of its famous song, but around 30 islands as well.

Inchmurrin is Britain’s largest freshwater isle; while Inchconnachan is home to an unlikely population of wallabies imported by the Countess of Arran in the 1940s.

Loch Ness

Don’t forget to pack your binoculars when you visit Loch Ness. Credit: Getty

Although not quite the deepest lake in Scotland (see Loch Morar), Loch Ness is by far the UK’s largest lake by volume, containing almost twice the amount of water than in all the lakes in England and Wales combined.

But its fame lies, of course, in the mysterious creature that swims its murky depths. Allegedly.

Loch Awe

Explore ruined castles, which still stand on some of Loch Awe’s islands. Credit: Getty 

Scotland’s third largest freshwater loch is also the longest lake in the UK. It stretches for over 25 miles, bordering the mighty Inverinan Forest to the west.

Loch Awe’s islands are home to various ruined castles, the most photogenic of which is Kilchurn, once the centre of power for the Campbells of Glenorchy.

Loch Maree

Though one of Scotland’s lesser known lochs, Maree is certainly one of its most scenic.

Located between Poolewe and Kinlochewe, in the far north-west, the loch’s remoteness has been a boon for wildlife.

The Loch Maree Islands now form a National Nature Reserve rich with rare insects, birds and flora.

Loch Morar

If you don’t catch a glimpse of the resident sea monster, you may have more luck spotting red deer, otters or golden eagles around Lake Morar. Credit: Getty

The UK’s deepest lake (310m; 1017ft), it’s hardly surprising that Morar lays claim to its own ‘Nessie’. Sightings of Morag, as the creature is known, go back to 1887.

Pleasingly, the loch is almost exactly the same depth as the height of the UK’s tallest building, London’s The Shard.

Loch Tay

Scotland’s Amazon – The Tay is a mighty body of water. Credit: Getty

Scotland’s longest river, the Tay (120 miles), runs through its namesake loch on its way through the central highlands.

Evidence of human activity along the beguiling loch’s shores goes back 10,000 years. It’s also had at least 20 ancient crannogs (artificial islands), built upon it and today hosts the Scottish Crannog Centre.

Windermere

Lake Windermere is over 10 miles long, up to a mile wide and more than 200ft deep. Credit: Getty 

Though dwarfed by the UK’s lochs and loughs, Windermere is England’s largest freshwater body.

Eulogised by Romantic poets – and most recently by Taylor Swift in her song The Lakes – the sinuous 11-mile-long ‘ribbon lake’ is extremely popular with holidaymakers who take to it on a variety of hired craft.

Of its 18 islands, only Belle Isle, with its distinctive circular house, has ever been inhabited.

Llyn Tegid 

Lake Tegid is situated in the east of Wales’s Snowdonia National Park. Credit: Getty

Known to English speakers as Bala Lake, Wales’ largest llyn (lake) covers less than two square miles but makes up for this by being home to the gwyniad, a fish found nowhere else in the world.

The entire 3.7-mile length of Tegid’s south-eastern shore is flanked by the winsome narrow-gauge Bala Lake Railway.

Find out more

Check out our guide to the UKs most beautiful lakes.