The Avon is a river largely in the Falkirk council area of Scotland.

Course

It originates, near some wind turbines, at what modern maps call Avonhead Cottage south of Upperton just west of Longriggend. Older maps show it near Avonhead just west of "Avonhead Rows" and north of "Avonhead Coal Pit No 9". Some maps show a stream coming from Fannyside Lochs in North Lanarkshire, some 3 miles (5 km) east of Cumbernauld,Royal Scottish Geographical Society, (2006), ''Scotland: an encyclopedia of places & landscapes'', page 39 but that is not the Avon's source even if some water drains in a rivulet from there. The west of Fannyside Loch is the source of the Glencryan Burn which ends up in the River Carron via the Red Burn and the Bonny Water. Herd's Hill, the source of the Luggie Water which ends up in the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

via the River Kelvin is close by. The first tributary of the Avon is the Shiellhill Burn on the south of

Greengairs Greengairs is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Greengairs is shown on a map by Roy c.1754 under the name of Green Geirs. In toponymy the name means "green strips of grass". Lying southeast of Cumbernauld and north east of Airdrie, th ...

very close to the source of the Cameron Burn, which itself is a tributary of the Luggie Water. The Avon picks up the Shiellhill Burn close to Upperton, north of the sewage works and west of Easter Glentore Farm. The Avon crosses Fannyside Road at the Bog Bridge near Toddle Knowe. Within about a kilometre of this point are streams whose waters make it to Linlithgow, Larbert and Kirkintilloch on their way to their destinations. The next tributary is the Garbethill Burn near Jawhills followed by the Rashiehill Burn. The next tributary, near Slamannan, is the Culloch Burn which also starts in Longriggend but takes a more easterly course initially. The Culloch Burn flows anticlockwise round Slamannan and joins the Avon just to the north. After Avonbridge the Lin Mill Burn just after the start of the River Avon Heritage Trail. The next two tributaries are the Logie Water, near Westfield, and the Brunton Burn. Grangemouth from the air (geograph 5222112)

Grangemouth from the air (geograph 5222112)

After

Muiravonside Country Park Muiravonside Country Park is 170 acres of woodland and parkland open to the public all year round with marked trails, picnic sites and a play area.Avon Aqueduct. This is the tallest aqueduct in Scotland. The Avon Aqueduct—Scotland's longest navigable aqueduct—carries the Union Canal above the river. The Avon flows under the aqueduct and later under both Linlithgow Bridge and the M9 motorway. The river broadens before it joins the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

just east of the Grangemouth Refinery. This is not far down from where the Grange Burn and the River Carron meet the Firth. The Avon flows through the Avon Gorge and forms the boundary between

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

and

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

council areas. It is 19 miles (31 km) in length.

Etymology

Like other rivers of this name throughout Britain, the name Avon simply means 'river', derived from Scottish Gaelic ''abhainn'', or British (i.e. Old

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

) ''afon''.

References

External links

*
"Forth District Salmon Fishery Board"

"River Forth Fisheries Trust"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avon, Falkirk Rivers of Falkirk (council area) Rivers of North Lanarkshire Rivers of West Lothian

Course

Etymology

See also

References

External links