Editing Yarrow Water (section)

==Geography and history==
[[File:Mungo Park portrait.jpg|thumb|[[Mungo Park (explorer)|Mungo Park]]]]
Its source is [[St. Mary's Loch]] and from there the Yarrow Water flows {{convert|20|km|mi}} in an easterly direction with a fall of  {{convert|123.5|m|ft}} passing the settlements of Yarrow Feus, Yarrow and Yarrowford before joining the Ettrick near to the site of the 1645 [[Battle of Philiphaugh]] just west of [[Selkirk, Scottish Borders|Selkirk]].<ref name=electric/><ref>[http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst3434.html "Yarrow Water"] Gazetteer for Scotland. The Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 25 July 2009.</ref><ref name=OS>[http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/ "Get-a-map"] [[Ordnance Survey]]. Retrieved 25 July 2009.</ref> This confluence, which occurs at the eastern edge of the [[Duke of Buccleuch]]'s Bowhill Estate, is known as the Meetings Pool.<ref name=elf/> The valley is traversed by the A708 that runs from Selkirk to [[Moffat]].

The explorer [[Mungo Park (explorer)|Mungo Park]] was born at Foulshiels on the left bank of the river in 1771.<ref>[http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst4780.html "Foulshiels"]  Gazetteer for Scotland. The Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 25 July 2009.</ref> In May 1804 [[Walter Scott]] came upon Park throwing stones into a deep pool in the river and remarked that "This appears but an idle amusement for one who has seen so much adventure".<ref name=electric/> Park replied that this was "Not so idle perhaps, as you suppose. This was the way I used to ascertain the depth of a river in Africa".<ref name=electric/> Although he had not yet told anyone, Park was considering his second and fateful expedition at the time.<ref name=electric/> At about the same time, [[James Hogg]] ("The Ettrick Shepherd") had come to the attention of Scott whilst the former was working at Blackhouse Farm in the Yarrow valley.<ref>[http://www.ettrickyarrow.bordernet.co.uk/history/hogg-shepherd.html "James Hogg: The Ettrick Shepherd"] ettrickyarrow.bordernet.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2009.</ref>

The impressive ruins of [[Newark Castle, Selkirkshire|Newark Castle]], held by the [[Earls of Douglas]] in the 15th century, lie on the right bank of the river opposite Foulshiels.<ref>Coventry (2008) p. 158.</ref>