About the Nith

The River Nith catchment is long and narrow in shape and spans an area of approximately 1,230 km2. The Nith catchment extends from the upland, industrialised landscape around New Cumnock which is scarred by the traditional local industry of coal mining. Historically this involved deep shaft techniques and the associated “spoil heaps” remain visible. However the landscape is much more visually impacted by the current methods of extracting coal by opencast mining.

From the industrialised upper catchment in East Ayrshire, the Nith catchment extends south through Dumfries & Galloway. The land through this section of the catchment is used for agricultural purposes and many of the water courses are foliated by deciduous trees. From this mid catchment section, the river then enters an urbanised area around the town of Dumfries, the largest town in South West Scotland. The tidal limit of the River Nith is at Dumfries but theriver actually enters the sea at Glencaple village which is located approximately 7 kms to the south of Dumfries.

To the west, the Nith catchment includes the area around the village of Moniaive and Eastwards to the Lowther Hills. The Nith is amongst the most populated and industrialised catchments in South West Scotland. The catchment includes a diversity of habitats including peat bogs, upland moorland, conifer and broadleaf woodlands, wetlands and semi-natural grasslands. Much of the catchment in the mid section, extending from north of Thornhill to Dumfries, is designated as a nitrate vulnerable zone. The coastal section of the catchment of the River Nith is located in the Solway Firth. The tidal influence on this area is considerable and can range from 1 – 6 metres, depending on the height of the tide. Much of this coastal part of the catchment is dry at low tide.