inscribed in the margin "Loch Eck " a page from an album inscribed in the frontispage "F W Staines 3 Uplands St Leonards on Sea"
Amelia Jackson, Nee Staines (1842 – 1925) and thence by descent
Loch Eck is a freshwater loch located on the Cowal peninsula, north of Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is seven miles (11 kilometres) long. Along with Loch Lomond, it is the only naturally occurring habitat of the Powan (fish).The loch also has salmon, sea trout, brown trout and arctic charr.
Loch Eck is within the Argyll Forest Park which, is itself part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. It is close to the Benmore Botanic Garden and the Benmore Outdoor Centre, which uses the loch and its surrounding for outdoor learning.
The A815 road bounds the east side. A pathway runs along the west side of the loch, and gives access to the Paper Caves, set in the steep hillside with caving access to a platform set above a steep scarp within the cave. A legend holds that the Argyll family documents were hidden in the caves when the 9th Earl of Argyll was arrested, to prevent his lands from being made forfeit.
The loch is also an impounding reservoir with a water treatment works, that were upgraded in 2012 by Scottish Water, which supplies the freshwater to much of the southeast of Cowal, including Dunoon.
In July 2013, two dogs died due to algal bloom present in the loch. Warnings were then posted advising that people and animals should avoid contact with the water. Recently, three further incidents have happened, one in June 2019 and two in July 2021.
The actress Emma Thompson owns a house on the shore of the loch.
Francis William Staines was the last of a family of merchants from the City of London. Not only was he a successful businessman but he possessed a large independent fortune, such that he could devote his time to the cultivation of his talents in music and art. He was a brilliant amateur violinist, and also loved to spend much of his time painting. His daughter Amelia and her mother accompanied Mr Staines as he travelled throughout the country finding subjects for his painting. One area of the country that they visited frequently was Scotland and the Lake District, and Amelia grew particularly fond of the dramatic landscape of the Fells. Skelwith Bridge with the view of the hills around it 43 was one of her father’s favourite scenes. He painted landscapes and maritime paintings , exhibited 11 works at the RA including views on the Italian Coast, address in London, Hastings and St Leonards on Sea Susssex.