About the reserve

Lough Gat e Whing is one of a group of sites often referred to as the Northern Dubs, many of which have historic records for rare plant species. Lough is a Manx word for lake, and is generally reserved for the larger dubs which are thought to be late glacial in origin. Around 100 years ago the body of open water was colonised by swamp vegetation and curragh and has been in its current state for many decades, often with no significant area of open water during the summer months.

Despite its small size there are a good number of habitat types with their associated communities present on the reserve. These include mature trees, grey willow dominated curragh, swamp and open water. Due to the nature of the habitats present, the diversity of invertebrate and bird life on the site is high. The site was first recommended for legal protection in 1975 and today is managed to provide a mosaic of habitats.