Place name of the week

Lake of Menteith ~ Loch Innis Mocholmaig

This place is often referred to as ‘the only lake in Scotland’; although this is not accurate, the usage of lake instead of loch is nonetheless odd. The most likely reason for this is that the name was confused with the name of the area roundabouts: the Laich of Menteith, from Scots laich or laigh ‘low-lying land’. A Walter Scott novel may have also influenced usage.

The Gaelic form is Loch Innis Mo Cholmaig ‘the loch of the island of Saint Colm’, named after the island which sits on it, called in English Inchmahome. The Gaelic name for Menteith is Mon Teadhaich, which denotes the upland known today as the Menteith Hills.

Teadhaich is the Gaelic name for the River Teith. The area through which it flows between Callander and Dunblane is Srath Theadhaich ‘the strath of the Teith’. lfor more information visit www.ainmean-aite.scot