River Add

The River Add flows through the valley of Glen Airigh in Argyll and Bute. It begins at Loch Sidheannach high in the hills near Beinn Dubh Airigh and runs south-west through wooded slopes. The river’s name comes from the old Gaelic name Airigh, meaning hill-pasture, which also gave the valley and district their names. Kilmichael Glassary, a small village along its course, was home to the founder of the Campbells of Auchinbreck, a branch of Clan Campbell. On the northern edge of the glen stands the 1,500-foot Marylyn of Beinn Dubh Airigh, separating Glen Airigh from Glen Awe. The river is shaped by human hands as well as nature. A tall concrete dam and pumping station control its flow for the Loch Gair Hydro-Electric Scheme, and a fish ladder lets salmon reach the upper reaches. Water is diverted through aqueducts and pipelines to feed Loch Glashan, a larger reservoir that powers the hydro station. The river passes through a narrow gorge crossed by a high-level pipeline before widening into a slower, winding channel. Two local bridges serve Kilmichael Glassary, and a listed four-span bridge at Bridgend dates from 1737. Visitors follow the river past early historic sites and nature reserves. Dunadd fort stands on a rocky outcrop reached by a small bridge; its rock carvings and ogam inscriptions mark it as the centre of the kingdom of Dál Riata. The Mòine Mhòr Nature Reserve surrounds the lower river, where bog fields and tidal waters meet. Near Bellanoch, the cast-iron Islandadd Bridge of 1851 carries the B8025 over the river before it reaches Loch Crinan. From there the Crinan Canal runs beside the left bank, guiding the Add’s final stretch into the Sound of Jura.