The Big Water of Fleet Viaduct
One of the viaducts on the disused railway lines in Dumfries & Galloway
Select the thumbnails to view in full size
All images are © 400photos.uk
This now long-disused viaduct (the first photo is looking north) is one of several on the old Port Patrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway.
This section of the line runs from Creetown north and east to Loch Ken and then south to Castle Douglas on the way to Dumfries and beyond.
To make it clear, this is a viaduct over the Big Water of Fleet rather than a big viaduct on the Water of Fleet. It IS a big viaduct but it's named for the river running below it.
A mile or so to the east is the Little Water of Fleet and the two streams converge a few miles downstream at Drumshangan a couple of miles or so upstream from Gatehouse of Fleet to form The Water of Fleet (no size specified).
It's likely that the brown staining in the water just north of the viaduct is from a natural chalybeate spring, rich in iron deposits. There are several in the Galloway Hills. An example can be seen at the Brow Well.
The large hill to the north at the right of the first photo is Craigwhinnie and behind that is Loch Fleet, the source of the smaller river.
Access is by foot or by car/cycle a few miles up from either Creetown or Gatehouse of Fleet, loads of parking, picnic tables and camping sites available.
About ten miles east on the same disused railway is the viaduct over Loch Ken.
