The Lugar Water, or River Lugar, is created by the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...

of the

Bellow Water Bellow may refer to: People * Adam Bellow, vice president/executive editor at Collins Books * Alexandra Bellow (born 1935), mathematician * Saul Bellow (1915–2005), American writer born in Canada of Russian-Jewish origin ** PEN/Saul Bellow A ...

and the

Glenmuir Water The Glenmuir Water is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland.The river rises high in the hills south of Muirkirk. On reaching Lugar the Glenmuir is joined by the Bellow Water and is renamed the Lugar WaterAyrshire Rivers Trustmonitor water quality for ...

, just north of Lugar, both of which flow from the hills of the

Southern Uplands The Southern Uplands ( gd, Na Monaidhean a Deas) are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas (the other two being the Central Lowlands and the Grampian Mountains and the Highlands, as illustrate ...

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 headq ...

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 th ...

Course

Source to Cumnock

The river flows through the small mining village of Lugar, where at Bellow Mill, William Murdoch, the inventor of gas lighting 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 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 just o ...

, 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

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 d ...

. 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. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

(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. 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. Continuing west the river reaches the village of

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 ...

, 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 river 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 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 mo ...

, 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 European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...

, and these are fished for by anglers of all ages.

Lower Reaches

Lugar Water near Wallace's Cave - geograph

The river now enters a gorge of red

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

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 Glen, in Midlothian, Scotland. It is also known as Hawthornden Castle Cave, after Hawthornden Castle which is nearby. It takes its name from William Wallace, the Scottish national hero, who participated in ...

, where William Wallace allegedly hid from his pursuers. The Lugar now reaches the end of its journey of some twenty miles. Two miles south of

Mauchline Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) 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 Wes ...

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 sacrificia ...

, which carries its waters to the sea.

Wildlife

Kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found 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 ...

and pied wagtails, chaffinch,

goldfinch Goldfinch or The Goldfinch may refer to: Birds * European goldfinch, ''Carduelis carduelis'' * Some species of the genus '' Spinus'': ** American goldfinch, ''Spinus tristis'' ** Lawrence's goldfinch, ''Spinus lawrencei'' ** Lesser goldfinc ...

and the tiny

wren Wrens are a family of brown passerine birds in the predominantly New World family Troglodytidae. The family includes 88 species divided into 19 genera. Only the Eurasian wren occurs in the Old World, where, in Anglophone regions, it is commonl ...

Gallery

References

External links

{{authority control Rivers of East Ayrshire