Walk along the Nith

 

A short walk along the meandering river Nith just north of Dumfries at the point where Cluden Water joins the Nith. Through the trees can be seen the remains of  Lincluden Collegiate Church about which I know nothing, but is a place that I should perhaps try to visit sometime.

The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 7 km East of Dalmellington.  For the majority of its course it flows in a generally Southern direction through Dumfries and Galloway, before spilling into the Solway Firth at Ards point. The territory through which the river flows is called Nithsdale (historically known as “Stranit” from Scottish Gaelic: Strath Nid, “valley of the Nith”). At low tide, the sea recedes to such an extent that the length of the Nith is extended by 13 km to 113.8 km (70.7 miles), making it Scotland’s seventh longest river.

The estuary of the River Nith is an important site for wildfowl, and is protected at an international level as part of the Upper Solway Flats and Marshes Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, and as part of the Solway Firth Special Area of Conservation. At a national level, the area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is within the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. The Nith Estuary National Scenic Area recognises the scenic value of the area.

 

 

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• January 14, 2013
• Uncategorized
• 7 comments