392 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



THE CREE. 



ANGLING SEASON : llth February to 31st October. 

 NETTING SEASON : llth February to 26th August. 



District Fishery Board meets in Newton -Stewart. A. B. Matthews, Esq., Solicitor, 

 Newton-Stewart, is Clerk. 



There are two head streams in this district. One slightly larger 

 than the other is named the Cree, the other is called the Minnock. 

 The former has its source in shallow and isle ted Loch Moan, some 700 

 feet above sea-level, and within a mile of the Kirriemore Burn, which 

 is the head water of the Minnock. The Cree bends away to the west 

 for some distance before it works round -to its prevailing S.E. direc- 

 tion. Its total course from Loch Moan to the head of Wigtown 

 Bay at Creetown is 26 miles. The greater part of the course forms 

 the boundary between the counties of Kirkcudbright and Wigtown. 



A lonely road, and a long and hilly one, passes Loch Moan as it 

 crosses the hills from Maybole through Carrick to Newton-Stewart. 

 This road follows the course of the Kirriemore Burn and Minnock 

 for 5 or 6 miles, then bends to the west and crosses the Cree at 

 Bargrennan, about 2J miles above the junction of the two head 

 streams. The Cree here is a rather stony and straggling stream, 

 but rather less than a mile above Bargrennan Bridge a rather serious 

 fall occurs, which acts as a material obstruction to the passage of 

 fish. At times salmon congregate in numbers below this linn, and 

 are somewhat exposed to the possible attention of the stroke-hauler. 

 In Frank Buckland's time, and at his suggestion, a rough channel 

 was cut in the rock to facilitate ascent. It would not be difficult, 

 however, to do a good deal more in the way of cutting the gradient 

 down ; and although much of the water above is in open moorland, 

 the proper distribution of fish would, I have no doubt, be distinctly 

 improved. 



The Minnock in its lowest portion has some quiet water, with 

 grassy banks, and the junction pool is of very considerable size, but 

 in following the river upwards fine gravel banks soon appear. These 

 presently give place to stones of a rougher and larger character, and 

 presently rocky ledges and cascades become marked at Glencaird. 

 Three miles above the junction it is joined by the Water of Trool, 

 which descends one of the most beautiful glens of this neighbour- 

 hood. It flows from Loch Trool in a narrow, rocky gorge, and at the 

 outlet the stream has been sluiced and the level of Loch Trool 



