The Kirtle Water is a river in Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...

 in southern Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It rises on the southern slopes of Haggy Hill where its headwaters are impounded to form Winterhope Reservoir. Below the dam it flows in a generally southerly direction passing Waterbeck and Eaglesfield

Eaglesfield

Eaglesfield is a small town in south east Dumfriesshire , Scotland. It is not far from the English Border.-History:Eaglesfield is of ancient origin, and Blacket Tower is the former seat of an old Borders family...

 to the village of Kirtlebridge

Kirtlebridge

Kirtlebridge is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. It is located north-east of Annan, north-west of Kirkpatrick-Fleming, and south of Eaglesfield...

 along which stretch it is closely followed both by the A74(M) motorway and the mainline railway

West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...

 between Carlisle and Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. From Kirtlebridge it turns southeastwards to flow by Kirkpatrick-Fleming

Kirkpatrick-Fleming

Kirkpatrick-Fleming is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is located around north-west of Gretna, and west of Annan, between the Kirtle Water and the A74 motorway....

 and on, to the west of Gretna, to empty into the estuary of the Border Esk

River Esk, Dumfries and Galloway

The River Esk is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, that flows into the Solway Firth. It also flows for a small way through the English county of Cumbria before entering the Solway....

 at the eastern limit of the Solway Firth

Solway Firth

The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...

.