THE FLEET AND THE URR 397 



THE FLEET AND THE URR. 



FLEET ANGLING SEASON : 25th February to 31st October. 



NETTING SEASON : 25th February to 9th September. 

 URR ANGLING SEASON : 25th February to 29th November. 

 NETTING SEASON : 25th February to 9th September. 



These two little rivers are situated one on either side of the Dee, 

 the Fleet on the west and the Urr on the east. Each has a typical 

 Solway estuary, rather out of proportion to the size of the river, and 

 each has a course through very beautiful " south country " scenery. 



In the Fleet district, in 1879, a claim for the fishing of fixed 

 engines was made to the Special Commission for Salmon Fisheries, 

 and certificates of privilege were granted. It has been found 

 recently that the observance of the weekly close time has been 

 much overlooked, and here, as in the Cree District, so called " white 

 fish nets " which are curiously like salmon nets, are worked in and 

 out of season. 



The Fleet rises at a very considerable altitude, and from two 

 sources the Big and the Little waters of Fleet. To form the Big 

 water of Fleet a series of converging burns descend like the spokes 

 of a fan, or ribs of a fan, I know not which word a lady would 

 employ, from the cluster of hills containing the Cairnmore of Fleet 

 (2331 feet), Meikle Mactaggart (2000 feet), Craigronald and Craig- 

 whinnie fine-sounding Highland names all of them to a wide 

 valley-head. This valley no doubt shows the main line of erosion 

 from the hills mentioned, when the shores of the Solway were 

 levelled down, and the shallow estuaries formed. The Big Water 

 now traces its sinuous course in the bed of this great stream- 

 track, and about a mile below the junction of the burns the 

 Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railway crosses the valley on a 

 viaduct of 20 arches. About three miles lower down the Little 

 Water joins from the left. This Little Water springs from Loch 

 Fleet, a small triangular sheet of water 1120 feet above the sea, 

 and north of the valley-head already referred to. 



The junction is at Castramont, and from this point to the head of 

 Fleet Bay below Gatehouse, the course of the river is 4J miles long. 

 Salmon are few and far between in the Fleet during the fishing 

 season, but sea-trout are plentiful and often yield good sport. The 

 sea-trout run from July on till end of September. 



The Urr is a much longer stream than the other, having a total 



