Unlike the Molendinar, many people are familiar with the Kelvin because it flows in the open, through Maryhill, the Botanic Gardens and Kelvingrove Park, and then past the University of Glasgow.

Riverside walks are popular, as is the Kelvin Cycle Way from Partick to Summerston. In the words of the Friends of the River Kelvin's website: "A walk along the banks of the Kelvin is one of the most rewarding experiences Glasgow has to offer.

"But it is only in recent years that the River has become treasured as a rich natural habitat."

The Kelvin was formerly used to power watermills. Mills of every description – bleaching, dyeing, flour-milling – could at one time be found on the banks. In time, however, the river became badly polluted and litter-strewn.

In 1956, it was described by the Clyde River Purification Board as, "one of the most obvious eyesores since it passes through public parks and Glasgow University grounds," and "frequently discoloured and scummy'' in appearance.

The river's current, cleaner state is in large part due to FORK.

The organisation was formed in 1991 and aims to showcase the Kelvin's rebirth as a model for river regeneration. Salmon have returned to the river, just part of the wildlife that can be found here. FORK says the river's tree-lined banks provide cover for dippers, kingfishers and other birds.

The Kelvin has given its name to Kelvindale, Kelvinbridge, Kelvingrove and Kelvinhaugh, not to mention Kelvin Hall.

When scientist William Thomson was enobled, he took the title Lord Kelvin – the river flowed close to his laboratory at Glasgow University.

l On the web: www.fork.org.uk