Parallel Roads of Lochaber

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 56.8889, -4.9656

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Also within

Inverness County Ben Nevis and Glen Coe Scenic Area 14. Rannoch - Nevis - Mamores - Alder Wild Land Area19. Braeroy - Glenshirra - Creag Meagaidh Wild Land Area

Condition (NatureScot)

Favourable (1) Part Destroyed (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
F1 Fluvial Geomorphology of Scotland Favourable — 2022-12-12
F2 Quaternary of Scotland Part Destroyed — 2023-02-10

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Quaternary

Landscape processes: Fluvial, Glacial

Description

Parallel Roads of Lochaber The Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is a large site to the north east of Fort William comprising areas in Glen Spean, Glen Roy and Glen Gloy. It is of outstanding importance for its range of Quaternary and fluvial geomorphology features. The SSSI encompasses an area unique in Britain and which is internationally recognised as a classic locality for Pleistocene ice-dammed lake shorelines (the Parallel Roads) and a remarkable assemblage of landforms and sediments recording geomorphological processes both during and following successive episodes of catastrophic lake drainage. This assemblage includes glacier moraines, stagnant ice deposits, kame terraces, meltwater gorges, lake-floor sediments, fans, deltas, river terraces and landslides. Moreover, spatial variations in the altitudes of individual lake shorelines have provided new and significant information on deformation of the Earth’s crust in glaciated areas. Historically, the landforms of the area are also of great significance. In the 19th century, they provided crucial evidence for the former existence of glaciers in Scotland and therefore helped to confirm the Ice Age theory.

Plant communities

A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream

Potamogeton natans community

Schoenoplectus lacustris, Juncus bulbosus, Sparganium angustifolium, Sparganium erectum, Sparganium minimum, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Lemna trisulca, Nymphaea alba, Callitriche platycarpa, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus trichophyllus, Glyceria fluitans, Chara subspinosa

A14 — Fast flowing river and stream

Myriophyllum alterniflorum community

Isolepis fluitans, Juncus bulbosus, Fontinalis antipyretica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton filiformis, Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus peltatus, Chara spp., Nitella hyalina

A17 — Chalk river and stream, Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans community

Berula erecta, Nasturtium officinale, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Veronica beccabunga, Polygonum amphibium, Polygonum hydropiper, Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans

A18 — Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus fluitans community

Fontinalis antipyretica, Fontinalis squamosa var. curnowii, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Elodea canadensis, Mentha aquatica, Lemna gibba, Lemna minor, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Ranunculus fluitans, Glyceria fluitans, Phalaris arundinacea