The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...

) is a river in

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. At it is the longest river in the county. The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial horse burials have been found along its banks, mainly concentrated around the town of

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

Etymology

The name ''Ayr'' may come from a pre-Celtic word meaning "watercourse". ''Ayr'' could also be of

Brittonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...

derivation, perhaps from the element ''*ar'', an ancient river-name element implying horizontal movement. The town of Ayr was formerly known as ''Inver Ayr'' meaning "mouth of the Ayr" (see

Inver Inver () is a small village in County Donegal, Ireland. It lies on the N56 National secondary road midway between Killybegs to the west and Donegal Town to the east. It is also a civil parish in the historic barony of Banagh. History Inve ...

), but this was later shortened to just ''Ayr''.

Geography

The River Ayr has a

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of . The river originates at Glenbuck Loch in

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquar ...

, close to the border with

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...

. It winds its way through East and

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 Jun ...

to its

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

at the town of

, where it empties into the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

. On its way, the river passes through the villages of

Muirkirk Muirkirk ( gd, Eaglais an t-Slèibh) is a small village in East Ayrshire, southwest Scotland. It is located on the north bank of the River Ayr, between Cumnock and Glenbuck on the A70. Conservation The Muirkirk & North Lowther Uplands Specia ...

Sorn Vehicle Excise Duty (VED; also known as "vehicle tax", "car tax", and more controversially as "road tax", and formerly as a "tax disc") is an annual tax that is levied as an excise duty and which must be paid for most types of powered vehicles which ...

Catrine Catrine is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland which was formerly a centre of cotton manufacture. It has a population of around () Geography The village lies on the River Ayr which previously provided water power for local industry. It is in ...

Failford Failford ( sco, Failfuird) is a hamlet in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is west of Mauchline, where the Water of Fail flows into the River Ayr. History A minor ford would have been located where the Water of Fail has its confluence with the River ...

Stair Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

and

Annbank Annbank is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is around five miles east of Ayr. Originally a mining settlement, it once had a rail link to Ayr via the Auchincruive Waggonway. The village has a village hall, bakery, shop, bowling green, ...

, as well as passing the location of (the now ruined)

Ayr Castle Ayr Castle was a castle situated at Ayr in Scotland. Once considered a royal castle, nothing remains of it above ground. History In 1197, the castle was built by King William the Lion of Scotland, who later in 1205 created a burgh at Ayr. The ...

. The largest settlements being

Cumnock Cumnock ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Cumnag'') is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie ...

Ochiltree Ochiltree is a conservation village in East Ayrshire, Scotland, near Auchinleck and Cumnock. It is one of the oldest villages in East Ayrshire, with archaeological remains indicating Stone Age and Bronze Age settlers. A cinerary urn was found in ...

and Sorn. Major land uses within the catchment area are

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...

, leisure and recreation and urban development.

Tributaries

Principal tributaries include: * Greenock Water * Lugar Water *

Water of Fail The Water of Fail, or River Fail, is a fast-flowing river in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It rises in the hills north of Tarbolton, flowing generally south through Tarbolton Loch into Montgomery Woods where it joins the larger River Ayr at Failford, ...

* Water of Coyle.

River Ayr Way

Many practitioners of hillwalking and other related activities are probably aware that the river is pathed for upwards of 90% of its length. Due to disputes with estate owners and weather damage, the walk does temporarily abandon the river in a couple of locations. The path begins in the former village of

Glenbuck Glenbuck ( gd, Gleann Buic) is a small, remote village in East Ayrshire. It is nestled in the hills east of Muirkirk, East Ayrshire, Scotland. Glenbuck Loch The site of the village was slightly to the north-west of Glenbuck "Loch", on the Riv ...

, now a casualty of opencast mining and general industry decline. It follows the river from its source at Glenbuck Loch and ends at the coastal town of

, where the river empties into the ocean at the

. Typically the walk is done in 2 or 3 stages.

References

External links

* Wallace's Heel Well
Video footage of Wallace's Heel Well

Icebergs on the River Ayr at Failford

{{authority control Ayr