River Tay
Encyclopedia
The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland
and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom
. The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui
(Beinn Laoigh), then flows easterly across the Highlands
, through Loch Dochhart, Loch Lubhair and Loch Tay
, then continues east through Strathtay (see Strath
), in the centre of Scotland
, then southeasterly through Perth
, where it becomes tidal, to its mouth at the Firth of Tay
, south of Dundee
. It is the largest river in the UK by volume of discharge
. Its catchment
is approximately 2000 square miles (5,180 km²), the Tweed
's is 1500 square miles (3,885 km²) and the Spey
's is 1097 square miles (2,841.2 km²).
was built across the Firth at Dundee
as part of the East Coast Main Line
, which linked Aberdeen
in the north with Edinburgh
and, eventually, London
to the south. On 28 December 1879 the bridge collapsed as a train passed over it. The entire train fell into the Firth, with the loss of 75 passengers and train crew. The event was commemorated in a poem, The Tay Bridge Disaster
, written by William McGonagall, a notoriously unskilled Scottish poet. The critical response to his article was enhanced because he had previously written two poems celebrating the strength and certain immortality of the Tay Rail Bridge. A. J. Cronin
's first novel, Hatter's Castle
(1931), includes a scene involving the Tay Bridge Disaster
, and the 1942 filmed version
of the book recreates the bridge's catastrophic collapse.
The rail bridge
across the Firth was subsequently rebuilt, and in the 1960s a road bridge
was built nearby.
Several places along the Tay take their names from it, or are believed to have done so:
The Tay drains much of the lower region of the Highlands. It originates on the slopes of Ben Lui
(Beinn Laoigh), only c. 30 miles (c. 32 km) from the west coast town of Oban
, in Argyll and Bute
. In 2011, the Tay Western Catchments Partnership determined as its source (as based on its 'most dominant and longest' tributary) a small lochan on Allt Coire Laoigh south of the summit. The river has a variety of names in its upper catchment: for the first few miles the river is known as the River Connonish; then it is called the River Fillan; the name then changes again to the River Dochart
until it flows into Loch Tay at Killin
.
The River Tay emerges from Loch Tay
at Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, and flows from there to Perth which, in historical times, was the lowest bridging point of the river. Below Perth the river becomes tidal and enters the Firth of Tay. The largest city on the river, Dundee
, lies on the north bank of the Firth. Upon reaching the North Sea, the River Tay has flowed 120 miles (193 km) from west to east across central Scotland.
The Tay is also unusual amongst Scottish rivers in having several major tributaries, notably the Earn
, the Isla
, the River Tummel
, the Almond
and the Lyon.
A flow of 2269 m3/s was recorded on 17 January 1993, when the river rose 6.48 metres above its usual level at Perth, and caused extensive flooding in the city. Were it not for the hydro-electric schemes upstream which impounded runoff, the peak would have been considerably higher. The highest ever flood at Perth occurred in 1814, when the river rose 7 m above the usual level, partly caused by a blockage of ice under the Smeaton's Bridge. Other severe flood events occurred in 1210 and 1648 when earlier bridges over the Tay at Perth were destroyed.
(SSSI) maintaining a flagship population of Atlantic salmon
(Salmo salar), Freshwater pearl mussel
(Margaritifea margaritifera) and native species such as the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). Freshwater pearl mussels are one of Scotland's most endangered species and the River Tay hosts two-thirds of the world's remaining stock.
The Tay is internationally renowned for its Atlantic salmon fishing and is one of the best salmon rivers in the United Kingdom, and western Europe, attracting anglers from all over the world. The largest ever rod caught salmon in Britain which was caught on the Tay by Miss Georgina Ballantine in 1922, weighing 64 lbs, and remains the British Record. The extensive river system has excellent salmon fisheries on many of its tributaries including the Earn, Isla, Ericht, Tummel, Garry, Dochart, Lyon and Eden. Dwindling catches include a 50% reduction in 2009 so the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board ordered a catch-and-release policy for females all season, and for males until May, beginning with the January 2010 fishing season. Research by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation has shown that the number of salmon dying at sea has doubled or trebled over the past 20 years, possibly due to overfishing in the oceans where salmon spend two years before returning to freshwater to spawn. The widespread collapse in Atlantic salmon stocks suggests that this is not solely a local problem for salmon in the River Tay.
The first Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) living wild in Scotland in over 400 years was captured in the River Tay in 2007 because it may have been illegally released or not of the proper genetic stock. However, there is an earlier undocumented sighting of a beaver in the River Earn
, a Tay tributary, in May 2001. The Tay watershed beaver may also be escapees from Tayside captive beaver enclosures. The beaver became extinct in Great Britain
towards the end of the eighteenth century, the last reference to beavers in England
dating to 1789. It is currently estimated that at least 20, and possibly up to 100, beavers live on the Tay River, although these are now targeted for trapping by the Scottish Natural Heritage
. Proponents of the Tayside beavers argue that they have not been proven to be of "wrong" genetic stock and there is scientific evidence to support that they may represent a rather ideal mix of western European populations, since any single relict population in western Europe is relatively genetically depauperate. Scottish Natural Heritage did import beaver from Norway and legally released them in Knapdale
in 2009. In early December 2010, the first of the wild Tayside beavers was trapped by Scottish Natural Heritage on the River Ericht
in Blairgowrie
, Perthshire
and is being held in captivity in the Edinburgh Zoo
. A Facebook group, Save the Free Beavers of the Tay, has nicknamed the captured wild beaver "Erica" and opposes the ongoing effort to trap Erica's relations. Erica died within a few months of being in captivity at the zoo, two days after Scottish Natural Heritage ended its trapping program. An independent post-mortem examination carried out by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
concluded that Erica died from septic shock
and according to Simon Girling, head of veterinary services of the Edinburgh Zoo, there was no evidence of any concerns for other animals.
A 2009 report by Natural England
, the Government’s conservation body, and the People's Trust for Endangered Species recommended that beaver be reintroduced to the wild in England.
and Newport-on-Tay
, Fife
. In Dundee, the ferry was popularly known as "the Fifie". The service was discontinued upon the opening of the Tay Road Bridge
. Latterly, three vessels operated the service - Paddle Steamer
B. L. Nairn and two more modern ferries equipped with Voith Schneider Propellers, MVs Abercraig and Scotscraig.
and Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay
Furthermore the German poet Theodor Fontane
has mentioned the Tay in his poem Die Brück' am Tay.
It is also mentioned in the Steeleye Span
song "The Royal Forester".
Many Rolls-Royce civil aero-engines are named after British rivers, one of which is the Rolls-Royce Tay.
Lastly, it is one of the river names used as one of the main streets of the New Zealand
city of Invercargill
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui
Ben Lui
Ben Lui is a mountain in the southern Highlands of Scotland, at the head of Glen Fyne. It has five well-defined ridges radiating out from the summit...
(Beinn Laoigh), then flows easterly across the Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, through Loch Dochhart, Loch Lubhair and Loch Tay
Loch Tay
Loch Tay is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the district of Perthshire.It is a long narrow loch of around 14 miles long, and typically around 1 to 1½ miles wide, following the line of the valley from the south west to north east...
, then continues east through Strathtay (see Strath
Strath
A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow .An anglicisation of the Gaelic word srath, it is one of many that have been absorbed into common use in the English language...
), in the centre of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, then southeasterly through Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, where it becomes tidal, to its mouth at the Firth of Tay
Firth of Tay
The Firth of Tay is a firth in Scotland between the council areas of Fife, Perth and Kinross, the City of Dundee and Angus, into which Scotland's largest river in terms of flow, the River Tay, empties....
, south of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
. It is the largest river in the UK by volume of discharge
Discharge (hydrology)
In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids , dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material , which is transported through a given cross-sectional area...
. Its catchment
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
is approximately 2000 square miles (5,180 km²), the Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
's is 1500 square miles (3,885 km²) and the Spey
River Spey
The River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest-flowing river in Scotland...
's is 1097 square miles (2,841.2 km²).
History
In the 19th century the Tay Rail BridgeTay Rail Bridge
The Tay Bridge is a railway bridge approximately two and a quarter miles long that spans the Firth of Tay in Scotland, between the city of Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife ....
was built across the Firth at Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
as part of the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
, which linked Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in the north with Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and, eventually, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to the south. On 28 December 1879 the bridge collapsed as a train passed over it. The entire train fell into the Firth, with the loss of 75 passengers and train crew. The event was commemorated in a poem, The Tay Bridge Disaster
The Tay Bridge Disaster
The Tay Bridge Disaster is a poem written in 1880 by the Scottish poet William McGonagall, who has been widely acclaimed as the worst poet in British history...
, written by William McGonagall, a notoriously unskilled Scottish poet. The critical response to his article was enhanced because he had previously written two poems celebrating the strength and certain immortality of the Tay Rail Bridge. A. J. Cronin
A. J. Cronin
Archibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known works are Hatter's Castle, The Stars Look Down, The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years, all of which were adapted to film. He also created the Dr...
's first novel, Hatter's Castle
Hatter's Castle
Hatter's Castle is the first novel of author A. J. Cronin. The story is set in 1879, in the fictional town of Levenford, on the Firth of Clyde. The plot revolves around many characters and has many subplots, all of which relate to the life of the hatter, James Brodie, whose narcissism and cruelty...
(1931), includes a scene involving the Tay Bridge Disaster
Tay Bridge disaster
The Tay Bridge disaster occurred on 28 December 1879, when the first Tay Rail Bridge, which crossed the Firth of Tay between Dundee and Wormit in Scotland, collapsed during a violent storm while a train was passing over it. The bridge was designed by the noted railway engineer Sir Thomas Bouch,...
, and the 1942 filmed version
Hatter's Castle (film)
Hatter's Castle is a 1941 British film adaptation of the 1931 novel by A. J. Cronin, which dramatizes the ruin that befalls a Scottish hatter set on recapturing his imagined lost nobility. The film was made by Paramount British Pictures and stars Robert Newton, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, and Emlyn...
of the book recreates the bridge's catastrophic collapse.
The rail bridge
Tay Rail Bridge
The Tay Bridge is a railway bridge approximately two and a quarter miles long that spans the Firth of Tay in Scotland, between the city of Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife ....
across the Firth was subsequently rebuilt, and in the 1960s a road bridge
Tay Road Bridge
The Tay Road Bridge is a bridge across the Firth of Tay from Newport-on-Tay in Fife to Dundee in Scotland. At around , it is one of the longest road bridges in Europe, and slopes gradually downward towards Dundee...
was built nearby.
Several places along the Tay take their names from it, or are believed to have done so:
- DundeeDundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
- Dun Tatha, Fort on the Tay - BroughtyBroughty FerryBroughty Ferry is a suburb on the eastern side of the City of Dundee, on the shore of the Firth of Tay in eastern Scotland...
- Bruach Tatha, Bank of the Tay - TaymouthTaymouthTaymouth may refer to one of several places:* Taymouth Castle, Scotland* Taymouth, New Brunswick, Canada* Taymouth Township, Michigan, USA...
- Near the mouth of Loch TayLoch TayLoch Tay is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the district of Perthshire.It is a long narrow loch of around 14 miles long, and typically around 1 to 1½ miles wide, following the line of the valley from the south west to north east...
. - TaysideTaysideTayside Region was a local government region of Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. It was created by the 1973 Act following recommendations made by the 1969 Wheatley Report which attempted to replace the mishmash of counties, cities, burghs and districts, with a uniform two-tier system...
- A former Scottish Government region
Course
Ben Lui
Ben Lui is a mountain in the southern Highlands of Scotland, at the head of Glen Fyne. It has five well-defined ridges radiating out from the summit...
(Beinn Laoigh), only c. 30 miles (c. 32 km) from the west coast town of Oban
Oban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
, in Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
. In 2011, the Tay Western Catchments Partnership determined as its source (as based on its 'most dominant and longest' tributary) a small lochan on Allt Coire Laoigh south of the summit. The river has a variety of names in its upper catchment: for the first few miles the river is known as the River Connonish; then it is called the River Fillan; the name then changes again to the River Dochart
River Dochart
The River Dochart is in Perthshire, Scotland.Coming from Ben Lui, it flows east out of Loch Dochart and through the glen of the same name. At Killin just before it enters Loch Tay are the Falls of Dochart. The river is sometimes also considered to be a part of the upper reaches of the River...
until it flows into Loch Tay at Killin
Killin
Killin is a village situated at the western head of Loch Tay in Stirling , Scotland....
.
The River Tay emerges from Loch Tay
Loch Tay
Loch Tay is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the district of Perthshire.It is a long narrow loch of around 14 miles long, and typically around 1 to 1½ miles wide, following the line of the valley from the south west to north east...
at Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, and flows from there to Perth which, in historical times, was the lowest bridging point of the river. Below Perth the river becomes tidal and enters the Firth of Tay. The largest city on the river, Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, lies on the north bank of the Firth. Upon reaching the North Sea, the River Tay has flowed 120 miles (193 km) from west to east across central Scotland.
The Tay is also unusual amongst Scottish rivers in having several major tributaries, notably the Earn
River Earn
The River Earn in Scotland leaves Loch Earn at St Fillans and runs east through Strathearn, then east and south, joining the River Tay near Abernethy. The Earn is about long. It passes by Comrie, Crieff and Bridge of Earn....
, the Isla
River Isla, Perthshire
The River Isla is a tributary of the River Tay in Angus and Perthshire, Scotland. It runs for 46 miles through Glen Isla and Strathmore .-External links:*...
, the River Tummel
River Tummel
The River Tummel is a river in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Discharging from Loch Rannoch, it flows east to a point near the Falls of Tummel, where it bends to the southeast, a direction which it maintains until it falls into the River Tay, just below Logierait, after a course of from its source...
, the Almond
River Almond, Perth and Kinross
The River Almond is a tributary of the River Tay in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It rises in the hills to the south-east of Loch Tay, and flows eastwards through Glenalmond. It runs through the village of Almondbank, before joining the Tay immediately north of Perth. The river's course is around ...
and the Lyon.
A flow of 2269 m3/s was recorded on 17 January 1993, when the river rose 6.48 metres above its usual level at Perth, and caused extensive flooding in the city. Were it not for the hydro-electric schemes upstream which impounded runoff, the peak would have been considerably higher. The highest ever flood at Perth occurred in 1814, when the river rose 7 m above the usual level, partly caused by a blockage of ice under the Smeaton's Bridge. Other severe flood events occurred in 1210 and 1648 when earlier bridges over the Tay at Perth were destroyed.
Ecology
The river is of quite high biodiversity value and is a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) maintaining a flagship population of Atlantic salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
(Salmo salar), Freshwater pearl mussel
Freshwater pearl mussel
The freshwater pearl mussel, scientific name Margaritifera margaritifera, is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae....
(Margaritifea margaritifera) and native species such as the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). Freshwater pearl mussels are one of Scotland's most endangered species and the River Tay hosts two-thirds of the world's remaining stock.
The Tay is internationally renowned for its Atlantic salmon fishing and is one of the best salmon rivers in the United Kingdom, and western Europe, attracting anglers from all over the world. The largest ever rod caught salmon in Britain which was caught on the Tay by Miss Georgina Ballantine in 1922, weighing 64 lbs, and remains the British Record. The extensive river system has excellent salmon fisheries on many of its tributaries including the Earn, Isla, Ericht, Tummel, Garry, Dochart, Lyon and Eden. Dwindling catches include a 50% reduction in 2009 so the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board ordered a catch-and-release policy for females all season, and for males until May, beginning with the January 2010 fishing season. Research by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation has shown that the number of salmon dying at sea has doubled or trebled over the past 20 years, possibly due to overfishing in the oceans where salmon spend two years before returning to freshwater to spawn. The widespread collapse in Atlantic salmon stocks suggests that this is not solely a local problem for salmon in the River Tay.
The first Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) living wild in Scotland in over 400 years was captured in the River Tay in 2007 because it may have been illegally released or not of the proper genetic stock. However, there is an earlier undocumented sighting of a beaver in the River Earn
River Earn
The River Earn in Scotland leaves Loch Earn at St Fillans and runs east through Strathearn, then east and south, joining the River Tay near Abernethy. The Earn is about long. It passes by Comrie, Crieff and Bridge of Earn....
, a Tay tributary, in May 2001. The Tay watershed beaver may also be escapees from Tayside captive beaver enclosures. The beaver became extinct in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
towards the end of the eighteenth century, the last reference to beavers in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dating to 1789. It is currently estimated that at least 20, and possibly up to 100, beavers live on the Tay River, although these are now targeted for trapping by the Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
. Proponents of the Tayside beavers argue that they have not been proven to be of "wrong" genetic stock and there is scientific evidence to support that they may represent a rather ideal mix of western European populations, since any single relict population in western Europe is relatively genetically depauperate. Scottish Natural Heritage did import beaver from Norway and legally released them in Knapdale
Knapdale
Knapdale forms a rural district of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, adjoining Kintyre to the south, and divided from the rest of Argyll to the north by the Crinan Canal. It includes two parishes, North Knapdale and South Knapdale....
in 2009. In early December 2010, the first of the wild Tayside beavers was trapped by Scottish Natural Heritage on the River Ericht
River Ericht
The River Ericht is a river in Perthshire, Scotland formed from the confluence of the rivers Blackwater and Ardle.It runs south for around 10 miles before discharging into the River Isla, and eventually the River Tay...
in Blairgowrie
Blairgowrie and Rattray
Blairgowrie and Rattray and Raitear is possibly from an English language cognate of Gaelic ràth, meaning fortress + a Pictish term cognate with Welsh tref, meaning settlement) is a twin burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Amongst locals, the town is colloquially known simply as "Blair"...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
and is being held in captivity in the Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo, formally the Scottish National Zoological Park, is a non-profit zoological park located in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland...
. A Facebook group, Save the Free Beavers of the Tay, has nicknamed the captured wild beaver "Erica" and opposes the ongoing effort to trap Erica's relations. Erica died within a few months of being in captivity at the zoo, two days after Scottish Natural Heritage ended its trapping program. An independent post-mortem examination carried out by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is a learned society and registered charity of Scotland. It was founded by an Edinburgh lawyer, Thomas Hailing Gillespie, in 1909. In 1913, a large plot of land was purchased for the Society by the Edinburgh Town Council on Corstorphine Hill, Edinburgh a...
concluded that Erica died from septic shock
Septic shock
Septic shock is a medical emergency caused by decreased tissue perfusion and oxygen delivery as a result of severe infection and sepsis, though the microbe may be systemic or localized to a particular site. It can cause multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and death...
and according to Simon Girling, head of veterinary services of the Edinburgh Zoo, there was no evidence of any concerns for other animals.
A 2009 report by Natural England
Natural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
, the Government’s conservation body, and the People's Trust for Endangered Species recommended that beaver be reintroduced to the wild in England.
Tay ferries
Until 18 August 1966, a passenger and vehicle ferry service operated across the River Tay between Craigie Pier, DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
and Newport-on-Tay
Newport-on-Tay
Newport-on-Tay is a small town in the north east of Fife in Scotland, acting as a commuter suburb for Dundee. The Fife Coastal Path passes through Newport.-History:...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
. In Dundee, the ferry was popularly known as "the Fifie". The service was discontinued upon the opening of the Tay Road Bridge
Tay Road Bridge
The Tay Road Bridge is a bridge across the Firth of Tay from Newport-on-Tay in Fife to Dundee in Scotland. At around , it is one of the longest road bridges in Europe, and slopes gradually downward towards Dundee...
. Latterly, three vessels operated the service - Paddle Steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
B. L. Nairn and two more modern ferries equipped with Voith Schneider Propellers, MVs Abercraig and Scotscraig.
Cultural references
The Tay is mentioned in William McGonagall's poems The Tay Bridge DisasterThe Tay Bridge Disaster
The Tay Bridge Disaster is a poem written in 1880 by the Scottish poet William McGonagall, who has been widely acclaimed as the worst poet in British history...
and Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay
Furthermore the German poet Theodor Fontane
Theodor Fontane
Theodor Fontane was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist writer.-Youth:Fontane was born in Neuruppin into a Huguenot family. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to an apothecary, his father's profession. He became an...
has mentioned the Tay in his poem Die Brück' am Tay.
It is also mentioned in the Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
song "The Royal Forester".
Many Rolls-Royce civil aero-engines are named after British rivers, one of which is the Rolls-Royce Tay.
Lastly, it is one of the river names used as one of the main streets of the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
city of Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
.
See also
- Association of Rivers TrustsAssociation of Rivers TrustsThe Rivers Trust is the new name for the Association of Rivers Trusts which is a waterway society and registered charity No. 1107144, and an umbrella organisation for trusts concerned with rivers in England and Wales...
(ARTS) - England/Wales equivalent to RAFTS - List of navigation authorities in the United Kingdom
- List of rivers of Scotland
- List of waterway societies in the United Kingdom
- Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of ScotlandRivers and Fisheries Trusts of ScotlandThe Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland is a waterway society, an unincorporated association, a Scottish charity, and an umbrella organisation for river trusts in Scotland, based in Edinburgh.RAFTS is the representative of all of Scotland's river systems...
(RAFTS)