A remote freshwater loch on the island of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, Loch Coruisk (Gael: Cor'-uisg) occupies an over-deepened valley which extends far into the heart of the Cuillin Hills. It is connected to the sea (Loch na Cuilce and then Loch Scavaig) by the short Scavaig River which crosses a narrow ice-smoothed rock barrier. The loch is situated in one of the most spectacular glaciated valleys in Britain. Its name means 'the water cauldron', and during wet weather waterfalls cascade down on all sides. The loch is accessible only by sea or a lengthy, but well-trodden, walk.
The rugged grandeur of Loch Coruisk has proved popular with artists; it was painted in 1831 by J.M.W. Turner and a 'lost' landscape by A.W. Hunt, dating from 1869, made an appearance on the BBC television programme Antiques Roadshow in 2005 and was valued at £60,000. Loch Coruisk is referred to as 'that dread lake' by Sir Walter Scott in his poem The Lord of the Isles (1815), while geologist John MacCulloch refers to it as a 'beautiful lake' and provides an extensive portrayal in his Description of the Western Isles of Scotland (1819).
