page_title: Loch Leven (Kinross)
section_title: Leisure and visitors
hierarchical_section_title: Loch Leven (Kinross) / Leisure and visitors
caption_attribution_description: English: View looking east across Loch Leven from Kinross, taken by me (Euchiasmus) on 28th June 2005 at 20:12
context_page_description: Loch Leven is a fresh water loch located immediately to the east of the burgh of Kinross in Perth and Kinross council area, central Scotland. Roughly triangular, the loch is about 6 km at its longest. Prior to the canalisation of the River Leven, and the partial draining of the loch in 1826-36, Loch Leven was considerably larger. The drop in water level by 1.4 m reduced to the loch to 75% of its former size, and exposed several small islands, as well as greatly increasing the size of the existing ones.
  There are seven islands on the loch, the largest being St Serf's Inch. Loch Leven Castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in 1567, lies on one of these islands, and it can be reached by a ferry operated from Kinross by Historic Environment Scotland during the summer months.
  It is thought that the loch may be the site of an impact structure formed 270 million years ago.
  Scottish Natural Heritage have described Loch Leven as "one of Scotland’s top natural assets", due to its rich ecosystem that supports many different species of plants, insects, fish and birds.
context_section_description: There is an all abilities path around the loch, known as the Loch Leven Heritage Trail, which can be accessed from seven different car parks around the loch at Kinross Pier; Kirkgate Park; Burleigh Sands; Loch Leven's Larder; Findatie; RSPB Loch Leven car park; and the car park at the Cashmere Factory. The trail was completed in 2014, and as of 2016 SNH estimated that 200,000 people were using it annually. The RSPB run a visitor centre on their section of the reserve which as of 2016 was receiving around 70,000 visitors each year. The centre has facilities including a shop, café, observation room, educational facilities, toilets, and marked trails leading to three bird hides. A further three open hides are provided by SNH at locations around the loch. 
  Loch Leven is strongly associated with the sport of curling, and Kinross Curling Club, founded 1668, is reputedly the oldest in the world. The loch has been the site of the most extensive outdoor tournaments in the sport, the Grand Match or Bonspiel, however the ice has not been thick enough for this since 1959. The cold weather of the 2010/11 winter led to much speculation that a Bonspiel could be held, however due to safety concerns only informal matches were held on the loch. The loch is also a popular location for angling (chiefly for brown trout) and wildfowling.
caption: View east across Loch Leven from Kinross
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