Lugar Water

The Lugar Water, or River Lugar, is created by the confluence of Bello Water and Guelt Water, both of which flow from the hills of the Southern Uplands in East Ayrshire, Scotland.

The river flows through the small mining village of Lugar, where at Bello 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 flows on through the town of Cumnock, where its water was used in earlier times to power grain mills.

It continues its journey through the estate of the Marquess of Bute, where it flows beneath the beautiful ornamental bridge of Lochnorris, designed by Adams who also designed and built Dumfries House, the residence of the present marquis. It now reaches the lovely village of Ochiltree, where its waters are again harnessed by a weir which drove the local grain mills in days past. Here the mighty Atlantic Salmon can be 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.

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.

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 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.