The Annick Water (previously also spelled as Annack, Annoch (1791) or Annock) is the largest tributary of the River Irvine. The river runs from

Long Loch Long Loch may refer to: * Long Loch (East Renfrewshire), an old freshwater loch in East Renfrewshire, Scotland * Long Loch (Angus), a freshwater loch in Angus, Scotland {{DAB, date=January 2025 ...

, just inside

East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire (; ) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It was formed in 1996, as a successor to the Eastwood (district), Eastwood district of the Strathclyde region. The northeastern part of the council area is close to Glasgow and ma ...

, in a generally south-western direction through

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire (, ) is one of 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and s ...

and

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Roa ...

, to confluence with its parent river at

Irvine, North Ayrshire Irvine ( ;
; ) is a town and former

Johnston, James B. (1903), ''Place-Names of Scotland''. Pub. David Douglas, Edinburgh. P. 12. and Strathannick is very much prone to flooding as recorded by SEPA. The water now (2006) appears to be pollution free for most of its length. An independent survey in the

Bourtreehill Bourtreehill is a large housing estate built by the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC) in the late 1970s which forms part of the Irvine New Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The estate has two main parts, known as Bourtreehill North and Bou ...

(1999) area revealed a strong colony of freshwater shrimp, a

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

known only to live in relatively clean water. On 27 January 2009 a BP tanker train carrying liquid fuels (diesel and heating oil) from Mossend to Riccarton was derailed near the bridge over the Stewarton to Kilmaurs road at Peacockbank Farm. Several wagons subsequently caught fire.METRO. January 28, 2009. p. 5. The Annick Water was polluted, however, it escaped major contamination.

History

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

man used the Annick as his waterway. From

Dreghorn Dreghorn is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland, east of Irvine town centre, on the old main road from Irvine to Kilmarnock. It is sited on a ridge between two rivers. As archaeological excavations near the village centre have found a signi ...

, the Annick has presented us with many artifacts dating from that time. Indeed, recent archaeological evidence from

uncovered the oldest continually used settlement in Europe. This mesolithic village was on the banks of the Annick. A number of mills existed along its length with only Cunninghamhead Mill still standing today (2006). Lambroch Mill was located near Laigh Castleton Farm. Scroaggy or Fairliecrevoch Mill was a waulk or cloth mill and existed until the 1960s, with its lade cutting across the large loop in the river near Ramstane. Downstream from Cunninghamhead was a sawmill and a corn mill existed in Perceton near the old church. Scroag or scrog is a

crab apple ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus i ...

or gnarled treestumps in old Scots and this 'nickname' well describes the area where the mill stood. A number of fords and stepping stones are present, notably at

Chapeltoun Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, a rural area of Scotland famous for its milk and Dunlop cheese, cheese production and the Ayrshire cattle, Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle. Templeton and the Knights ...

, Lambroch Mill, and at Ramstane where a footbridge was also present. A footbridge is still present at Laigh Castleton and a weir existed close to Lainshaw House, raising the water level to form an area which was ideal for water fowl. A small weir is still present beneath the surviving bridge into the Lainshaw Holm. Wooden carriageway bridges existed at two places on the Lainshaw estate; the stone built abutments are still visible. A number of old bridges cross the Annick Water along its entire length, such as at

Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

and

. Notable is the 17th century remains of bridge-supports in

's own stretch of the Annick. Other early railway bridges cross its shallow and easy waters. The lower reaches were known as Strathannick in the 18th century, but the name has sadly gone out of use.

Death on the Annick

During a particularly long feud between the Cunningham and Montgomery families in the 16th and 17th centuries, the fourth

Earl of Eglinton Earl of Eglinton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created by James IV of Scotland in 1507 for Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Lord Montgomerie. In 1859, the thirteenth Earl of Eglinton, Archibald Montgomerie, was also created Earl of Winto ...

was murdered at a ford on the Annick at Bridgend in Stewarton. The river can be dangerous and a gravestone in Dreghorn Parish Church records the death by drowning of a young lad from Perceton in

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

times. On 18 August 2007 a

Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

boy, Dean McGregor,Dean McGregor
/ref> fell into the Annick Water when it was in flood. The scene of the tragedy was near Lainshaw House. An RAF 'Search and Rescue' helicopter from HMS Gannet searched the river for several hours, unsuccessfully. The body was found in the river a few days later near the sewerage works.

Wildlife

North American

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

have been sighted along the banks of the Annick. This aggressive animal was unfortunately introduced to Britain and has been the cause for much concern for many years. Kingfishers have been spotted flying above the surface of the water, successfully catching small fish in their beaks. The eel, which originates in the

Sargasso Sea The Sargasso Sea () is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre. Unlike all other regions called seas, it is the only one without land boundaries. It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Oc ...

has been known to cross land at certain sections of the Annick River. This is a common habit of the eel but the sight is rather odd. As well as some Trout and Salmon it has a healthy population of Sticklebacks, Minnows, Freshwater Shrimps, Freshwater Limpets, Caddisfly Larvae, Blackfly, Stonefly and Leeches, indicating that the water quality is good. Mallard and heron are frequently encountered and the occasional Great Crested Grebe can be seen.

Eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

s are sometimes to be found on land, especially in wet weather, taking a shortcut across the top of the lengthy loops that are found in the river in the area. Image:WaterMeetings.jpg, The Glazert rivulet and the Annick Water at Water Meetings. Image:Annickwater1.JPG, The Annick Water looking upstream from Chapeltoun Bridge. Image:Annickwatercunnighamhead.JPG, The Annick Water near Cunninghamhead mill. Image:Waterfallcunnighamhead.JPG, A waterfall near Cunninghamhead bridge. Image:Bourtreehillannick1.JPG, The Annick Water at Bourtreehill. Image:Bourtreehillannick2.JPG, The Annick Water at Bourtreehill. Image:LainshawAnnickweir.JPG, The bridge and weir below Lainshaw House. Image:River_Annick.jpg, A View on the Annick Water. Marchantia polymorpha, the Common

Liverwort Liverworts are a group of non-vascular land plants forming the division Marchantiophyta (). They may also be referred to as hepatics. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry ...

grows on the bare bedrock dykes of the Annick near Cunninghamhead Mill, this plant being much rarer than the name suggests. Pellia epiphyla and Lunularia liverworts grow on the earth riverside banks at Cunninghamhead and elsewhere. The riverside vegetation includes Butterburr, Reed-Canary Grass, Rushes, Water Forget-Me-Not, Brooklime-Speedwell, Giant Hogweed, Hemlock Water-Dropwort, Willows and Alders.

References

External links

Video and commentary at Water Meetings
{{authority control Rivers of North Ayrshire Rivers of East Ayrshire Rivers of East Renfrewshire

History

Death on the Annick

Wildlife

See also

References

External links