Ettrick Water

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Ettrick Water, a river of Selkirkshire, rising in the south-western extremity of the county, on Capel Fell (2223 feet), at an altitude of 1900 feet, 5¼ miles ENE of Moffat, and within a half-mile of affluents of both the Esk and Moffat Water. Thence it winds 325/8 miles north-eastward through or along the borders of Ettrick, Kirkhope, Selkirk, and Galashiels parishes, till, 2½ miles below Selkirk town, it falls into the Tweed. It makes during this course a total descent of 1500 feet, and is joined by Tima and Yarrow Waters, with many lesser tributaries. Its scenery and the many interesting spots by which it flows are noticed in our articles on the four above-named parishes, and on Ettrick Forest, Oakwood, Bowhill, Carterhaugh, Philiphaugh, Haining, and Sunderland Hall. The song of Ettrick Banks, composed in the 16th or the 17th century, but printed first in Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius (1725), ` has, ' says Prof. Veitch, ` some exquisite references to local scenery and traits of the older shepherd life, which could have been noted only by a native of the district, or one resident there, and thoroughly familiar with the people and the scenes.' The fishing, mostly open to the public, is capital, the trout ranging between ½ lb. and 3 lbs., though running smaller above Tushielaw.-Ord. Sur., shs. 16, 17, 25, 1864-65.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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