Cairn Water is a small river in
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkc ...
, Scotland. The river, formed by the confluence of the Castlefern, Craigdarroch and Dalquhat, flows for southeast to the Cluden.
The Castlefairn is joined by the Craigdarroch and then by the Dalwhat, both from its left, just below the village of
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 has ...
in the parish of
Glencairn.
The confluence of these streams forms the Cairn Water. The parish is named for the river valley. The river flows east past Kirkland, then southeast to Newtonairds, where it is joined by the Old Water to form Cluden Water. Cluden Water flows east and southeast to join the
River Nith
The River Nith ( gd, Abhainn Nid; Common Brittonic: ''Nowios'') is a river in south-west Scotland. The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, east of Dalmellington. For the ...
just north of
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...
. The entire stretch of river from Moniaive to the Nith is known locally as the River Cairn.
The river once defined part of the boundary between
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county.
I ...
to the east and
Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative count ...
to the west.
References
Rivers of Dumfries and Galloway
1Cairn
{{Scotland-river-stub