River Nith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
River Nith

The estuary of the River Nith, opening into Solway Firth south of Dumfries
Origin Enoch Hill 55°19′41″N 4°17′02″W / 55.328°N 4.284°W / 55.328; -4.284
Mouth Solway Firth
Basin countries Scotland
Length 71 miles (112 km)[1]
Basin area 1230 km²[2]
For the river in southwestern Ontario, see Nith River.

The River Nith (Scottish Gaelic: Abhainn Nid; Latin: Novius[3]) is a river in South West Scotland.

Contents

[edit] Source, flow and mouth

The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 7 km East of Dalmellington.[4] 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.[4]

The territory through which the river flows is called Nithsdale (historically known as "Stranit" from Scottish Gaelic: Strath Nid, "valley of the Nith").

[edit] Length

For estuaries the principle followed is that the river should be visible at all times. The measurement therefore follows the centre of the river at low tide and the mouth of the river is assumed to be at the coastal high tide mark. In Scotland this does not generally make a significant difference, except for rivers draining into shallow sloping sands of the Irish Sea and Solway Firth, notably the Nith. At low tide, the sea recedes to such an extent that the length of the Nith is extended by 13km to 113.8km (70.7 miles), making it Scotland's seventh longest river.

[edit] Tributaries

Upstream to Downstream:

[edit] Settlements

The Nith near Carron Bridge.
The Nith at Ellisland Farm.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 55°00′N 3°36′W / 55°N 3.6°W / 55; -3.6


Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages