Uiser:KevRobbSCO/sandbox

The Carsphairn an Scaur Hills is the wastren an eastren hills o a hill range in the Soothren Uplands o Scotland. Ordnance Survey maps dinna hae a general name for the hill aurie as a hale. The Ordnance Survey uses "Scar"" raither nor the local spellin o "Scaur" an aw - the wird is pronoonce't "scar" houiver. In thair Landranger Series o Maps, it requires fower separate sheets tae kiver the aurie.

Location

The range lies atween twa ither ranges, the [[Gallowa Hills) til the wast an the Lowther Hills til the east. The general shape o the hill aurie is oval wi the langer boued sides tae the tap an the bottom. Fae the northwastren pynt o the oval at Dawmellinton til the sootheastren wan at Thornhill is aboot 24.25 mile (as the craw flees), tho Dawmellinton lies some 6 mile forder north nor Thornhill. Sae the axis o the oval rins fae northwast tae sootheast. Takin a section across the wast end o the oval, fae New Cumnock in the north tae Carsphairn in the sooth it is awmaist 12 mile an on the east a seemilar cross section fae Sanchar tae Minnyhive is awmaist the same (12 mile). The northwast quarter o the oval lies in Ayrshire in the umwhile Strathclyde region an the ither three quarters is in Dumfries an Gallowa.

Bi comparison wi the Gallowa Hills an the Lowther Hills, thir hills is no sae muckle veesitit or kent aboot except bi the local fowk - for thaim the hills have a speicial place in the minds o the communitys. Thare is an aw mony mair communitys close aroond thir hills nor aroond aither the Lowther Hills or the Gallowa Hills, an whit tae cry this hill aurie wad be challenged strangly bi thir local communitys that wad ilk wiss tae claim the hills for thair ain. Bein muckle mair eithly aiccessible an in general nae sae challengin no the neebourin ranges thir hills is muckle mair bade-in an uised on a daily basis bi the local communitys. Thay is uised on an awthegither mair casual basis, bi communitys that strangly identify wi thaim.

The Northren Boond

Fae Dawmellinton, the B741 road rins nor'east tae New Cumnock passin the heidwatters o the River Nith on the wey. At New Cumnock, this road jynes the A76 road that follaes the dale o the Nith eastwart throu the umwhile coal minin touns o Kirkconnel an Sanchar afore sweengin soothwart tae Thornhill. The northren boond tharefore follaes the River Nith for aw bit some 3 mile. The A76 cairys on fae thare soothwart wi the River Nith til the toun o Dumfries.

The Soothren Boond

Fae Thornhill the boond is formt bi the A702 road that traivels soothwast throu the smaw veelages o Penpont an Minnyhive. Fae Minnyhive the A702 conteenas in a soothwastren direction taewart St John's Toun o Dalry an New Gallowa, bit the boond o the hill aurie follaes the B729 road wastwart taewart Carsphairn on a lairgely single-track road. At Carsphairn the B729 jynes the A713 road heidin nor'wastwart for Dawmellinton.

River Systems

Blacklorg Hill lies near aboots in the centre o this hill aurie, wi the Afton Reservoir juist til the wast o it. The main rivers radiate oot fae this central aurie in aw directions. Ablow is a leet o the main watter coorses stairtin fae the Watter o Ken an follaein a sungaits order roond the various watters.

Watter o Ken

The Watter o Ken rises juist til the sootheast o the wattershed at Polskeoch; less nor a hauf mile fae the heidwatters o Scaur Watter on the tither side o the wattershed. It heids in a generally soothren direction an jynes the the Watter o Deugh some 1.5 mile north o Kendoon Pouer Station that is the seicont in a series o sic pouer stations rinnin aw the wey doon throu the Glenkens fae Drumjohn near Loch Doon (that is uised as a reservoir for the system an whase level wis raised bi 27 fit bi stemmin in the 1930s) tae Tongland near Kirkcoubrie. This series o pouer stations is cried the Galloway Hydro-electric Pouer Schame. The neist twa pouer stations is at Carsfad Loch an Earlstoun Loch wi the Watter o Ken rinnin throu them til the fourt pouer station at Glenlee (a hauf mile soothwast o St John's Toun o Dalry) an onwart as faur as Parton (whaur James Clerk Maxwell is buirit) on Loch Ken, whaur it is meets the River Dee. The soothren end o Loch Ken is shawed wi the alternative teetle o River Dee on the Ordnance Survey maps. The River Dee itsel stairts fae Loch Dee as the Black Watter o Dee. It rins throu Clatteringshaws Loch whaur in the 1930s a dam wis biggit on it tae form anither reservoir for the Galloway Hydro-electric Pouer Scheme. Fae Loch Ken the River Dee flowes sooth past Threave Castle (that is on an island in the river) an intae Kirkcoubrie Bay an thance intil the Solway Firth.

Dalwhat Watter

The Dalwhat Watter rins sootheastwart tae Minnyhive near whaur it meets the jyned watters o Craigdarroch Watter an Castlefairn Watter an becomes the Cairn Watter. The Cairn Watter syne meets the River Nith juist ootby Dumfries.

Shinnel Watter

The Shinnel Watter rins sootheastwart throu the veelage o Tynron. It jynes the Scaur Watter juist wast o Penpont. The Scaur Watter flowes intil the River Nith awmaist 2 mile sooth o Thornhill.

Scaur Watter

The Scaur Watter rises near Polskeoch clost til the soorce o the Watter o Ken sae that thir twa watter systems takken thegither creaut a naitural route throu the sootheast airt o thir hills an the roads that rin up intae thir glens awmaist meet - thare is a gap o some 1.25 mile wi nae road atween Lorg on the Watter o Ken and Polskeoch on the Polskeoch Burn (that feeds the Scaur Watter). The Scaur Watter traivels in a generally sootheastwart direction taewart Penpont.

Euchan Watter an Kello Watter

Thir watters rise within a hauf mile o ilk ane ither on the nor'east side o Blacklorg Hill. Thay baith rin nor'eastwart, the Euchan (pronoonce't 'yochan') flowin intil the River Nith juist sooth o Sanchar (close by the ruin o Sanchar Castle an the Kello water flowes intil it at Kelloholm hauf mile east o Kirkconnel.

Afton Watter

Afton Watter rises sooth o the Afton Reservoir. It flowes north throu the reservoir an syne throu New Cumnock afore meetin the River Nith juist north o New Cumnock whaur Cumnock Castle uised tae staund. The Afton haes been made famous by Robert Burns' song "Sweet Afton" an the Burns connection adds an extrae bind til the pride in thair kintra o the local woners.

River Nith

The River Nith rises aboot a hauf mile soothwast o Enoch Hill. It flowes northwart unner the B741 road at Nith Lodge aboot haufwey atween Dawmellinton an New Cumnock afore sweengin eastwart. Fae New Cumnock it forms the boond atween the Lowther Hills an the Carsphairn an Scaur Hills. The A76 road traivels doon the dale creautit bi it, the Nithsdale. Juist north o Thornhill is Drumlanrig Castle belangin til the Duke o Buccleuch.

Watter o Deugh

The Watter o Deugh rises til the wast o Afton Reservoir. It jynes Carsphairn Lane juist wast o Carsphairn veelage an meets the Watter o Ken north o Kendoon. As a pairt o the Gallowa hydro-electric pouer schame, whan rainfaw is plentifu, watter is divertit intae Loch Doon fae the Watter o Deugh (pronoonce't 'dyooch') via a tunnel seestem. Whan watter is require't for pouer generation, watter fae Loch Doon is syne released at Drumjohn tae feed the Kendoon pouer station.