The river flows through the small mining village of
Lugar, where at
Bellow Mill,
William Murdoch, the inventor of
gas lighting was born in 1754. A cave where he carried out a lot of his experiments can still be seen on the riverbank. The river then flows on through the town of
Cumnock, under the
Woodroad Viaduct, where its water was used in earlier times to power grain mills and where it is joined by
Glaisnock Water.[1]
Cumnock to Ochiltree
West of
Cumnock the river continues its journey through
Dumfries Estate, formerly owned by the
Marquess of Bute. In July 2007 a consortium led by
Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) succeeded in purchasing the house, contents and estate. The estate was then managed under the auspices of his Dumfries House Trust, and since 2018
The Prince's Foundation.
Close to Dumfries House the river flows beneath the Avenue Bridge,[2] designed by
John Adam. who also designed and built
Dumfries House. A few yards downstream the Lugar flows beneath an elegant Chinese footbridge built in 2017.[3]
Continuing west the river reaches the village of
Ochiltree, where it is joined by the Burnock Water and its waters are harnessed by a
weir which drove the local grain mills in days gone by. Here
Atlantic salmon have been seen jumping the
fish ladder, which allows them to reach their spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the river. The river also holds a good stock of the native
brown trout, and these are fished for by anglers of all ages.
Lower Reaches
The river now enters a gorge of red
sandstone with high cliffs on either side. High on one of these cliffs stand the ruins of
Ochiltree Castle and beneath this can be found
Wallace's Cave, where
William Wallace allegedly hid from his pursuers.[1]
The Lugar now reaches the end of its journey of some twenty miles. Two miles south of
Mauchline the Lugar joins the
River Ayr , which carries its waters to the sea.[1]