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THE
HARBOUR
Kirkcudbright's working heart
KIRKCUDBRIGHT BAY is the
estuary of the Dee. The Water of Dee starts at Loch Dee, surrounded by
mountains: the Rigg of Jarkness and the Rhinns of Kell.
Escaping past the Bruce Stone at Clatteringshaws
Loch, it winds its way south through pretty Loch Ken and down through
Bridge o’Dee and the power
station at Tongland to the flats of the Bay.
There the tides pull water in and out of the shallow Solway, producing
large rises and falls at Kirkcudbright Harbour. At high tides, the fishing
fleet seems ready to bob its way into the Harbour Square car park. At low
tides, the boats rest on their keels in the Solway mud.
 It’s
a working harbour, with its own fish packing business. When the fleet is
in, the boats moor two deep at the harbour quay and the fishermen drink at
the Steam Packet Hotel.
Pleasure boats don’t moor at the quay, but tie up discreetly at a
floating pontoon downstream of the sailing club.
At low tide the small boats, surrounded by acres of mud, nestle at the
base of huge black pilings.
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