From its source as a burn in the mountains of Argyllshire to its mighty estuary on the North Sea, the River Tay wends its way through some of Scotland's finest scenery. By the time it reaches the coast, 117 miles after leaving Loch Tay, it has become Britain's greatest river, discharging a larger volume of water than the Thames and Severn basins combined. For visitors the river is, in all its mood, a constant source of pleasure. For many, however, it is a lifeline bringing employment and prosperity. This book, the first to be written about the Tay for a hundred years, looks at the river through the eyes of those live and work along its banks. As it flows through Highland Perthshire and cuts through fertile straths and valleys on its way, a memorable picture of Scotland in microcosm emerges. The lifestyle of the fishing ghillies and salmon netters is a far cry from that of the welders in Dundee's oil-rig fabrication yards or the dockers of bustling Perth harbour so following the river's course the reader is offered a unique and fascinating view of a much-loved countryside. From Kenmore, where the famous salmon season is launched each year, to the Tay estuary, where whalers were once built and the columns of the collapsed Tay Rail Bridge act as an ominous reminder of the river's power, The River Tay and its People is a memorable picture of one of Scotland's most beautiful areas.