Loch Morlich - Aviemore

Loch Morlich (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Mhùrlaig) is a freshwater loch in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of Highland, Scotland near Aviemore. The loch is home to a water sports centre with kayaking, sailing and windsurfing among the activities available. There is also a yacht club and cycling routes around the loch. The loch is just a few miles from Aviemore, which enjoys daily train services.

Long stretches of its shoreline are formed of sandy beaches. When examined closely the sand of these beaches contains large amounts of broken glass. However, this glass does not come from careless tourists discarding bottles irresponsibly, but is in fact left over from the Second World War when the area around Loch Morlich was used as a commando school. In particular it was used as a training area for the Kompani Linge (the Norwegian Independent (army) Company, trained by the British Special Operations Executive) because of the close resemblance of the area, both in landscape and climate, to Norway. A memorial to the Kompani Linge can be found outside the Glenmore Forest Park visitor centre.