The Lugar Water, or River Lugar, is created by the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the
Bellow Water and the
Glenmuir Water, just north of
Lugar, both of which flow from the hills of the
Southern Uplands
The Southern Uplands () are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Lowlands and the Highlands). The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to col ...
in
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 ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Course
Source to Cumnock
The river flows through the small mining village of
Lugar, where at
Bellow Mill,
William Murdoch
William Murdoch (sometimes spelled Murdock) (21 August 1754 – 15 November 1839) was a Scottish chemist, inventor, and mechanical engineer.
Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton & Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engin ...
, the inventor of
gas lighting
Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a fuel gas such as methane, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly by ...
was born in 1754. A cave where he carried out a lot of his experiments can still be seen on the riverbank. The river then flows on through the town of
Cumnock, under the
Woodroad Viaduct, where its water was used in earlier times to power grain mills and where it is joined by
Glaisnock Water.
[
]
Cumnock to Ochiltree
West of Cumnock the river continues its journey through Dumfries Estate, formerly owned by the Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.
Family history
John Stuart was the member of a family that ...
. In July 2007 a consortium led by Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
(then the Prince of Wales) succeeded in purchasing the house, contents and estate. The estate was then managed under the auspices of his Dumfries House Trust, and since 2018 The Prince's Foundation
The King's Foundation (formerly the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture until 2001, the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment until 2012, the Prince's Foundation for Building Community until 2018, and the Prince's Foundation until 2 ...
.
Close to Dumfries House the river flows beneath the Avenue Bridge, designed by John Adam. who also designed and built Dumfries House. A few yards downstream the Lugar flows beneath an elegant Chinese footbridge built in 2017.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 i ...
, where it is joined by the Burnock Water and its waters are harnessed by a weir
A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
which drove the local grain mills in days gone by. Here Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...
have been seen jumping the fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon, is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as mov ...
, which allows them to reach their spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the river. The river also holds a good stock of the native brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...
, and these are fished for by anglers of all ages.
Lower Reaches
The river now enters a gorge of red sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
with high cliffs on either side. High on one of these cliffs stand the ruins of Ochiltree Castle and beneath this can be found Wallace's Cave
Wallace's Cave is situated in Roslin, Scotland, Roslin Glen, in Midlothian, Midlothian, Scotland beside the River North Esk. It is also known as Hawthornden Castle Cave, after the nearby castle. It takes its name from William Wallace who parti ...
, where William Wallace
Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.
Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of St ...
allegedly hid from his pursuers.[
The Lugar now reaches the end of its journey of some twenty miles. Two miles south of ]Mauchline
Mauchline (; ) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial.
Location
The town lies by the Glasgow and South Western Railway ...
the Lugar joins the River Ayr
The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. 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 ...
, which carries its waters to the sea.[
]
Wildlife
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
s and dipper
Dippers are members of the genus ''Cinclus'' in the bird family Cinclidae, so-called because of their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Cinclus'' ...
s are two of the avian species to be found on its riverbanks, along with yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...
and pied wagtails, chaffinch, goldfinch and the tiny wren
Wrens are a family, Troglodytidae, of small brown passerine birds. The family includes 96 species and is divided into 19 genera. All species are restricted to the New World except for the Eurasian wren that is widely distributed in the Old Worl ...
.
Gallery
References
External links
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Rivers of East Ayrshire