Douglas Water

For the village named after the river, see Douglas Water, South Lanarkshire.

Not to be confused with either the Douglas Water which flows into Loch Fyne or the Douglas Water which flows into Loch Lomond

Douglas Water

The Douglas Water (Scottish Gaelic: Dùghlas) is a river in south-central Scotland, and is a tributary of the River Clyde. Its course is entirely within the South Lanarkshire council area. The river's name comes from the Gaelic dubh-ghlas, meaning black water.

The river rises in the hills which separate Lanarkshire from Ayrshire, to the south west of Muirkirk. The source is close to that of the River Ayr, which flows west to the sea, but the Douglas Water runs north-east then east, past Glespin and into Douglasdale. Here the river flows through the village of Douglas, and past the scant remains of Douglas Castle. The castle was a stronghold of the House of Douglas, a powerful medieval family, whose Norman ancestors settled here in the 12th century and took their surname from the river. The A70 road follows the river through Douglasdale, and on to the Clyde.

East of Douglas, the river passes under the M74 motorway, just south of the Happendon services, and turns toward the north-east again. Below the village of Rigside, the smaller Poniel Burn flows into the Douglas Water. Beyond this confluence is the small village of Douglas Water. A dismantled railway line runs between the river and the A70 for the remaining 2 miles of its course. The Douglas Water flows into the Clyde around 3 miles south of Lanark.

River Clyde, Scotland

Administrative areas	South Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire City of Glasgow West Dunbartonshire Renfrewshire Inverclyde Argyll and Bute

Flows into	Firth of Clyde, then North Channel

Towns (upstream to downstream)	Elvanfoot Abington Symington New Lanark Lanark Wishaw Motherwell Hamilton Bothwell Uddingston Cambuslang Rutherglen Glasgow Renfrew Clydebank Bearsden Old Kilpatrick Dumbarton Port Glasgow Greenock Helensburgh Gourock Dunoon

Major tributaries (upstream to downstream by confluence)	Daer Water Potrail Water Duneaton Water Medwin Water Douglas Water Mouse Water River Nethan Avon Water South Calder Water North Calder Water River Kelvin River Cart River Leven

Major bridges and Crossings (upstream to downstream)	Clyde's Bridge Wolfclyde Bridge Thankerton Bridge Hyndford Bridge Clydesholm Bridge Crossford Bridge Garrion Bridge Clyde Bridge Bothwell Bridge Haughhead Bridge Clydeford Bridge Cambuslang Bridge Bogleshole Road Bridge Auchenshuggle Bridge Dalmarnock Bridge Dalmarnock Railway Bridge Rutherglen Bridge Polmadie Bridge King's Bridge St. Andrew's Suspension Bridge Pipe Bridge and Weir Albert Bridge City Union Bridge Victoria Bridge South Portland Street Suspension Bridge Glasgow Bridge Caledonian Railway Bridge George V Bridge Tradeston Bridge Kingston Bridge Clyde Arc Bell's Bridge Millennium Bridge Clyde Tunnel Renfrew Ferry Erskine Ferry Erskine Bridge

Longest UK rivers Severn Thames Trent Great Ouse Wye Ure/Ouse Tay Spey Clyde Tweed Avon Nene Eden Dee

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Douglas Water (river), South Lanarkshire.