Editing River Tay (section)

==Course==
[[File:Tay.catchment.Scotland.jpg|thumb|Catchment of the River Tay within Scotland.]]
[[File:Tay.catchment.jpg|thumb|Catchment of the River Tay.]]
[[File:Tay.tributaries.jpg|thumb|Tributaries of the River Tay.]]

The Tay drains much of the lower region of the Highlands. It originates on the slopes of [[Ben Lui]] (''Beinn Laoigh''), around {{convert|25|mi|km|-1|abbr=on}} from the west coast town of [[Oban]], in [[Argyll and Bute]].<ref name=Hydrological/> 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.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-12243508|title=BBC News - Source of River Tay 'pinpointed'|work=BBC News|date=21 January 2011 }}</ref> The river has a variety of names in its upper catchment: for the first few miles it is known as the River Connonish; then the River Fillan; the name then changes to the [[River Dochart]] until it flows into Loch Tay at [[Killin]].

The River Tay emerges from [[Loch Tay]] at [[Kenmore, Perth and Kinross|Kenmore]], and flows from there to [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]] which, in historical times, was its [[lowest bridging point]]. 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. On reaching the North Sea, the River Tay has flowed {{convert|120|mi|km|-1|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clayton |first1=Phil |title=Headwaters: Walking to British River Sources |date=2012 |publisher=Frances Lincoln Limited |location=London |isbn=9780711233638 |page=204 |edition=First}}</ref> from west to east across central Scotland.

The Tay is unusual amongst Scottish rivers in having several major tributaries, notably the [[River Earn|Earn]], the [[River Isla, Perthshire|Isla]], the [[River Tummel]], the [[River Almond, Perth and Kinross|Almond]] and the [[River Lyon (Tay River)|Lyon]].<ref name=Hydrological/>

A flow of {{convert|2268|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} was recorded on 17 January 1993, when the river rose {{convert|6.48|m|ftin|abbr=on}} above its usual level at Perth, and caused [[1993 Perth flood|extensive flooding in the city]]. Were it not for the [[hydroelectric|hydro-electric]] schemes upstream which impounded runoff, the peak would have been considerably higher. The highest flood recorded at Perth occurred in 1814, when the river rose {{convert|7|m|ft|abbr=on}} above its usual level, partly caused by a blockage of ice under Smeaton's Bridge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Black |first=Andrew |date=2018-01-18 |title=Remembering the Great Tay Flood of January 1993 |url=https://sites.dundee.ac.uk/hydrology/remembering-the-great-tay-flood-of-january-1993/ |access-date=2023-10-13 |website=Dundee Hydrology |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Several places along the Tay take their names from it, or are believed to have done so:
*[[Broughty Ferry|Broughty]] - ''Bruach Tatha'', Bank of the Tay
*[[Taymouth Castle|Taymouth]] - Near the mouth of [[Loch Tay]].
*[[Tayside]] - A former Scottish Government region