Tay River, Perthshire, is the longest river in Scotland, running a total length of ll9.75 miles 15 of which are taken up by its passage through Loch Tay. It rises on the north slope of Ben Lui, south west of Tyndrum at a height of 2,980 ft above sea level and before joining Loch Tay, flows under the‘names of Fillan and Dochart. It enters the North Sea below Dundee after draining 2,400 sq miles the largest catchment area in the country. The chief tributaries are the Ericht, Tummel, Earn, and Lyon. Until the control of the flow of water by the hydro-electricity schemes of the Tuminel and Garry, the river was liable to flood, and flood marks from 1814 have been recorded on the westernmost pier of the old bridge at Perth.
The Tay had no road crossing east of Perth until 1966, when the £4,500,000 toll bridge at Dundee was opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, With a length of 7,365 ft in 42 spans, including four navigational spans of 230-250 ft, when built it was the world‘s third longest concrete trestle bridge. It has greatly improved communication between Fife, Tayside and the north east but with the new trunk road connecting the Forth Road Bridge direct to Perth most northbound tourist and heavy traffic prefers that route.
- River Tay Geolocation Latitude 56.35637° N Longitude -3.30079° E
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The Tay railway bridge, upstream from the road bridge, 3,500 ft longer was built in l883 to 1888 to replace the bridge broken in a gale in December 1879 when a train was crossing, with the loss of ninety passengers.
The Tay is one of the best known salmon rivers in Scotland, and to preserve this reputation the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board has installed elaborate salmon-ladders in connection with dams on the Tummel, so that the salmon can reach their traditional spawning grounds. There is also good trout fishing in the Tay and its tributaries.
