Water of Fleet

The Water of Fleet is a river in southern Scotland that ends in Fleet Bay on the Solway Firth. Its two headwaters, the Big Water of Fleet and the Little Water of Fleet, join near Gatehouse of Fleet before the river reaches the sea. The Big Water begins on the slopes of Cairnsmore of Fleet, a 710-metre hill protected as a National Nature Reserve. The Fleet Valley below holds some of the finest upland oakwoods in Kirkcudbrightshire, including Killiegowan Wood and Carstramon Wood, both designated as Special Areas of Conservation. The lower Fleet Valley forms part of the Fleet Valley National Scenic Area, one of forty such areas in Scotland. This protected landscape covers 5,854 hectares, with 5,373 hectares on land and 481 hectares of marine zone in Fleet Bay. The shoreline runs from Barlocco Isle to Ringdoo Point, while inland the area stretches north for about ten kilometres. It shows Scotland in miniature: coastal scenery in the south, farmland and open woodland in the middle, and wilder hills and moors in the north. Drystane dykes mark the fields and add to the quiet charm of the place. Artists from the Kirkcudbright Artists’ Colony once favoured the shores of Fleet Bay for their work. The Big Water of Fleet is crossed by a twenty-span viaduct built for the old Portpatrick Railway. Near Gatehouse of Fleet stands Cardoness Castle, a well-preserved 15th-century tower house once owned by the MacCullochs of Myreton. After Sir Godfrey MacCulloch was executed in the late 17th century, the family left the castle, which is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.