Nithsdale (Srath Nid in Scottish Gaelic), also known by its anglicised gaelic name Strathnith or Stranit, is the strath of the River Nith in Scotland, and the name of the region. It is possible that Strath Nid actually represents the Cumbric Ystrad Nidd as Cumbric (arising as it did from the British Language) was the dominant language in this area from before Roman times until the 11th or 12th Century whereas Gaelic influence here was late and transient. The River Nith flows north to south through the Southern Uplands in south-west Scotland, separating the Lowther hills from the Scaur hills. Nithsdale has historically been a strategic area as it forms an invasion route from England into central Scotland.