Lugar Water
The Lugar Water, or River Lugar, is created by the confluence of the Bellow Water and the Glenmuir Water, just north of Lugar, both of which flow from the hills of the Southern Uplands in Ayrshire.
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 1784. 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 the Glaisnock Water.
Cumnock to Mauchline
It continues its journey through the estate of the Marquess of Bute, Dumfries Estate, where it flows beneath the beautiful ornamental bridge of Lochnorris, designed by John Adam who also designed and built Dumfries House, the residence of the present Marquess of Bute. It now reaches the village of Ochiltree, where its waters are harnessed by a weir which drove the local grain mills in days gone by. Here Atlantic salmon have been seen jumping the fish ladder, 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, and these are fished for by anglers of all ages. In May 2014 the Ayrshire Rivers Trust reported that barbel, a locally invasive species, had been caught on the river.[1]
Lower Reaches
The river now enters a gorge of red sandstone with high cliffs on either side. High on one of these cliffs stand the ruins of Auchinleck Castle and beneath this can be found Wallace's Cave, where William Wallace allegedly hid from his pursuers.
The river now reaches the end of its journey of some twenty miles and here joins the larger River Ayr which carries its waters to the sea.
Wildlife
Kingfishers and dippers are two of the avian species to be found on its riverbanks, along with yellow and pied wagtails, chaffinch, goldfinch and the tiny wren.
References
- Location map: 55°27’0"N, 4°22’0"W
- ↑ "Barbel Caught on the Lugar". Ayrshire Rivers Trust. http://www.ayrshireriverstrust.org/blog/2014/05/13/non-native-species-in-the-river-ayr-and-doon.html. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Water Lugar Water) |