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List of rivers of Scotland

 
Wikipedia: List of rivers of Scotland
Major rivers can be seen in this map

List of rivers in Scotland is a list of rivers in Scotland, organised geographically, taken anti-clockwise, from Berwick-upon-Tweed. Tributaries are listed down the page in an upstream direction.

For simplicity, they are divided here by the region in which the mouth of the river can be found, and sea into which it flows. Those on Scottish islands can be found in a section at the end. For Scottish estuaries, please see under firths and sea lochs.

The Scots have many words for water courses.

  • A "Water" (Lallans: "Watter", Scots Gaelic, "Uisge") is a smaller river, e.g. Ugie Water, Water of Leith etc. Many Scottish rivers incorporate the name "Water" traditionally.
  • A "burn", Scots Gaelic: "allt" (anglicised as "Ault/alt"), used for smaller rivers and larger streams, also once widely used in England, now mostly in placenames especially the north, and sometimes spelled "bourne", e.g. Bournemouth and Ashbourne. In Scotland examples include Coalburn, Bannockburn,Aultmore.
  • Abhainn in Gaelic meaning river, which is anglicised as Avon. There is also a similar Brythonic cognate. This sometimes leads to strange misnamings of rivers by Anglo-Saxon speakers, such as River Avon and River Afton (literally "River River"), or Glendale (literally "Valley Valley") which is a combination of Norse/Anglo-Saxon "dale" and Gaelic "glen" or Brittonic "glyn".

Contents

Flowing into the North Sea

The River Tweed at Coldstream
Meandering River Forth viewed from the Wallace Monument. The river flows from right to left, and the former limit of navigation was in the left distance.
Looking upstream (north) along the River Tay from the centre of Perth
Falls of Dee, An Garbh Choire

From Berwick-upon-Tweed to Duncansby Head (East Coast)

Flowing into the Atlantic Ocean

River Don near Alford
Glen Etive and River Etive
Fly fishing on the River Carron (??Forth, Wester Ross or Sutherland?)

Dunnet Head to Mull of Kintyre

Firth of Clyde

The Clyde flowing through Glasgow. The Finnieston Crane on the left is seen as a lasting symbol of the industrial heritage of the Clyde.
The River Findhorn is crossed by the Highland Main Line railway and the A9 road just east of Tomatin
The Annick Water
near Cunninghamhead mill<center.

From Mull of Kintyre to Mull of Galloway

Arran and the Cumbrae Islands

  • Glen Rosa Water
  • Benlister Burn
  • Glenashdale Burn
  • Kilmory Water
  • Stiddery Water
  • Clauchan Water
  • Machrie Water
  • Iorsa Water

Solway Firth (Mull of Galloway to Gretna, Irish Sea)

The estuary of the River Nith, opening into Solway Firth south of Dumfries.
Hoddom Bridge, River Annan

Rivers on Scottish islands

Most of the Scottish islands are too small to maintain watercourses of any great length, and are frequently indented by numerous long bays and inlets which further break up the landscape.

The Inner Hebrides and Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye

  • River Sligachan
  • Allt Dearg Mòr
  • Varragill River
  • Kilmartin River
  • River Conon
  • River Hinnisdal
  • River Haultin
  • River Snizort
    • Lòn an Eireannaich
    • Abhainn an Acha-leathain
      • Tungadal River
  • Bay River
  • Hamara River
  • River Ose
  • River Drynoch
  • Viskigill Burn
  • Eynort River
  • River Brittle
  • Coir' uisg
  • Abhainn Camas Fhionnairigh

Mull

  • Lussa River
  • River Forsa
  • Aros River
  • Coladoir River

Islay

  • River Laggan

Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland

Mill Dam wetlands, Shapinsay

By length

The eleven major rivers of Scotland, in order of length, are:

  1. River Tay 193 km (120 miles)
  2. River Spey 172 km (107 miles)
  3. River Clyde 171 km (106 miles)
  4. River Tweed 156 km (97 miles)
  5. River Dee 137 km (85 miles)
  6. River Don 132 km (82 miles)
  7. River Nith 112 km (71 miles)
  8. River Forth 105 km (65 miles)
  9. River Findhorn 101 km (63 miles)
  10. River Deveron 98 km (61 miles)
  11. River Annan 79 km (49 miles)

By catchment

The major rivers of Scotland, in order of catchment[1], are:

  1. River Tay c. 2000 sq miles (6200 km²)
  2. River Tweed 1500 sq miles (5000 km²)
  3. River Spey 1097 sq miles (3008 km²)

Note: Imperial figures from quoted source; and metric figures less certain.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Alastair Gowans. "Fishing Rivers". http://www.flyfish-scotland.com/rtaymap.htm. Retrieved August 20, 2006. 

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