The Water of Ken is a river in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

, south-west

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

.
It rises on Blacklorg Hill, north-east of Cairnsmore of

Carsphairn Carsphairn ( gd, An Còrsa Feàrna) is a village in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located about halfway between Dalmellington and St John's Town of Dalry, on the A713 road. Carsphairn annua ...

in the Carsphairn hills, and flows south-westward into

The Glenkens The Glenkens (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Gleann Cain'') is located midway along the western section of the Southern Upland way in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Galloway, Scotland. The Glenkens is made up of the parishes of Carsphairn, ...

, passing through Kendoon, Carsfad and Earlstoun lochs, all of which are dammed to supply the

Galloway Hydro Electric Scheme The Galloway hydro-electric power scheme is a network of dams and hydro-electric power stations in Galloway, south west Scotland. It was built between 1930 and 1936. The generating stations draw water from the River Ken, River Dee and River D ...

. At Kendoon Dam the Ken is joined by a major tributary the Water of Deugh. From there, the river flows south, passing

St. John's Town of Dalry St John's Town of Dalry ( gd, Clachan Eòin), usually referred to simply as Dalry ( / 'dal-RYE'), is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire. Location St Johns Town is located close to the ...

and

New Galloway New Galloway ( gd, Gall-Ghàidhealaibh Nuadh) is a town in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway. It lies on the west side of the valley of the Water of Ken, north of the end of Loch Ken. Before the local governme ...

, before widening to form the 9-mile long

Loch Ken Loch Ken is a long freshwater loch in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the Glenkens, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken and from the west by the Dee. It continues as the D ...

.
The Black Water of Dee also enters halfway down the loch, and from

Glenlochar Glenlochar ( Gd: ''Gleann Lochair'') is a hamlet on the western bank of the River Dee in the parish of Balmaghie in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway. Glenlochar is located one and a half miles south of Balmag ...

, at the south end of the loch, the river continues as the Dee towards

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; sco, Kirkcoubrie; gd, Cille Chùithbeirt) is a town, parish and a Royal Burgh from 1455 in Kirkcudbrightshire, of which it is traditionally the county town, within Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The town lies southwest of C ...

and the coast.
There are a number of interesting bridges over the Water of Ken. Smeaton's Bridge (Sometimes Smitton's Bridge) carries the B729 road which runs between

and

Moniaive Moniaive ( 'monny-IVE'; gd, Am Moine Naomh, ''"The Holy Moor"'') is a village in the Parish of Glencairn, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. It stands on the Cairn and Dalwhat Waters, north-west of the town of Dumfries. Moniaive ha ...

. It crosses the Ken a half mile above the confluence of the Stroanfreggan burn. This bridge has a single arch 42 ft long.
A few miles further downstream the High Bridge of Ken spans the river at a narrow ravine on the B7000 back road from

St John's Town of Dalry St John's Town of Dalry ( gd, Clachan Eòin), usually referred to simply as Dalry ( / 'dal-RYE'), is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire. Location St Johns Town is located close to the ...

. The bridge has 2 arches each 24 ft long. British listed buildings website describes the bridge as early 18th century, possibly earlier origin.
Further downstream again the Ken Bridge lies between

and

.This bridge carries the A712 road and dates from 1822. It has 5 granite arches and is 340 ft long. Immediately adjacent to the bridge is the Ken Bridge Hotel.

References

External links

The Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership

Ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...

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