The Avon is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

largely in the

Falkirk council area Falkirk ( ; ; ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas of Scotland. It was formed on 1 April 1996 by way of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 from the exact boundaries of Falkirk District, one of three parts of the Central r ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

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 North Lanarkshire (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns, and villages. It also borders East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk (co ...

, some 3 miles (5 km) east of

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; ) is a large town in the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, most-populous locality in Scotl ...

,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 The Luggie Water is one of two streams which flow out of Cumbernauld. The Scottish Planned community, New Town’s name derives from the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic for "the meeting of the waters", which possibly refers to the Luggie Water and the Red ...

which ends up in the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

via the

River Kelvin The River Kelvin () is a tributary of the River Clyde in northern and northeastern Glasgow, Scotland. It rises on the moor south east of the village of Banton, Scotland, Banton, east of Kilsyth. At almost long, it initially flows south to D ...

is close by. The first tributary of the Avon is the Shiellhill Burn on the south of Greengairs 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. After Muiravonside Country Park, the other end of the River Avon Heritage Trail, the Bowhouse Burn confluence occurs just before the Avon Aqueduct. This is the tallest aqueduct in Scotland. The Avon Aqueduct—Scotland's longest

navigable aqueduct Navigable aqueducts (sometimes called navigable water bridges) are bridge structures that carry navigable waterway canals over other rivers, valleys, railways or roads. They are primarily distinguished by their size, carrying a larger cross-se ...

—carries the Union Canal above the river. The Avon flows under the aqueduct and later under both

Linlithgow Linlithgow ( ; ; ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edi ...

Bridge and the M9 motorway. The river broadens before it joins the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...

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 The Avon Gorge () is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long Canyon, gorge on the River Avon (Bristol), River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5&nbs ...

and forms the boundary between

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a 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 resident population of 32,422 at the ...

and

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

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

Etymology

Like other rivers of this name throughout

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, the name Avon simply means 'river', derived from

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

''abhainn'', or

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

(i.e. Old Welsh) ''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