Nithraid, the annual celebration of the River Nith, which in normals years would see boats up and down the water, has moved online.

This past week has seen the festival sharing information online about New Cumnock, the first stop on their virtual tour of the river, an appropriate place to

begin given the town’s proximity to the source of the Nith.

Though unable to carry out their usual celebrations, the festival team is keen to highlight the charms of the individual settlements throughout Nithsdale.

The organisers of Nithraid said: “Owing to the current circumstances presented by COVID-19, we have taken the decision to cancel the river race and single day festival celebration at Millgreen, and have redesigned this year’s Nithraid as an extended celebration of the river, its communities and wildlife to take place online across the months of July through to September.

“Nithraid 2020 will become an online resource for all the community to access, contribute towards, to share, learn and create.”

The festival is usually centred at the southernmost point of the Nith and sees a boat race from the Solway Coast, where the river meets the sea, to Dumfries town centre.

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