CITATION ENDRICK WATER SITE OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST and West Dunbartonshire Site code: 1693

PLANNING AUTHORITY: and The Trossachs National Park Authority; Stirling Council

NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE: NS 661862 to NS 447884

OS 1:50,000 SHEET NO: Landranger Series 56, 57 1:25,000 SHEET NO: Explorer Series 347, 348

AREA: 219.19 hectares

NOTIFIED NATURAL FEATURES

Geological: Geomorphology : Fluvial Geomorphology of Scotland : Quaternary of Scotland Biological: Freshwater and estuarine fish : Brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri) Freshwater and estuarine fish : River lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) Vascular plants : Scottish dock (Rumex aquaticus)

DESCRIPTION

The Endrick Water Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) originates 4 km east of in the Gargunnock Hills. From here the SSSI extends west for 36 km to meet the Endrick Mouth and Islands SSSI around 1.5 km east of Loch Lomond. The lower reaches of the Endrick Water provide an exceptional example of the fluvial geomorphology of Scotland. The river is the largest flowing into Loch Lomond and it is both nationally and internationally-important for its population of river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis and brook lamprey L. planeri. The site is also supports the nationally-rare Scottish dock Rumex aquaticus.

In its lower reaches, near Buchanan Castle, the river is of considerable geomorphological interest. Here the river provides an excellent example of an unmodified and highly sinuous lowland river with irregular to tortuous meanders. At present, the channel is actively migrating across the valley floor, generating a floodplain in which are preserved excellent examples of palaeo-features such as meander scrolls, oxbow lakes and sections of abandoned channel. A recent cutoff provides an insight into how such channel adjustments develop and illustrates the processes of fine overbank sedimentation into a former channel.

The Endrick Water SSSI includes an important reference section in Late Devensian sediments. The sequence includes Late Devensian ice sheet till, proglacial lake sediments, Clyde Beds (fossiliferous marine sediments) and proglacial lake sediments partly deformed by the Loch Lomond Readvance glacier that occupied the Loch Lomond basin. It provides clear stratigraphic evidence for renewed glaciation in the type area for the Readvance, supported by radiocarbon dating of marine shells incorporated in the deposits.

The river is of national and international nature conservation importance for the populations of river lamprey and brook lamprey. The population of river lamprey found on the Endrick is of particular interest because these lampreys do not migrate to sea like other populations. Instead, they remain in freshwater as adults feeding in Loch Lomond on freshwater fish species. This is the only instance of this unusual behavioural trait being recorded in the UK.

The botanical interest of the site is varied due to the complex mix of geology and associated landforms. The Scottish dock Rumex aquaticus is a nationally-rare species found in Britain only in seasonally flooded ground by Loch Lomond. Small areas of base-rich grassland occur on the banks in the middle reaches of the river. These contain locally-rare plants including burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga and giant bellflower Campanula latifolia in woodland margins. Moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, narrow buckler fern Dryopteris carthusiana, and the three-nerved sandwort Moehringia trinervia occur in the woodlands.

NOTIFICATION HISTORY

First notified under the 1981 Act: 17 March 1998 Partial denotification confirmed under the 2004 Act: 30 March 2010 with a 0.2 ha reduction in area. Notification reviewed under the 2004 Act: 19 November 2010

REMARKS

Measured area of site corrected (from 221.65 ha)

The Endrick Water SSSI borders the Endrick Mouth and Islands SSSI near .

All of the Endrick Water SSSI is within the Endrick Water Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which is designated for the European species listed below.

Species : Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) : Brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri) : River lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis)