Firth of Tay

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The Tay Railway Bridge over the Firth
Map of the Firth of Tay

The Firth of Tay is the estuary of the River Tay, opening up into the North Sea between Fife on the south shore and Perthshire and Angus on the north.

The firth has a maximum width of three miles at Invergowrie. There is but one major island in the Firth, the marshy Mugdrum Island.

Two bridges span the firth; the Tay Road Bridge and the Tay Rail Bridge.[1]

Firth of Tay is an important wildlife habitat and along with the Eden Estuary it was designated a Ramsar site on 28 July 2000.

The firth gave its name to another somewhat further away; the Firth of Tay in Antarctica was discovered in 1892-93 by Captain Thomas Robertson of the Dundee whaling expedition and named by him after the one in Scotland. He also named nearby Dundee Island in honour of the main city on the firth.

Towns and villages along the coast

Sights beside the firth

  • Balmerino Abbey
  • Broughty Castle Museum
  • Mugdrum Island
  • Tay Rail Bridge
  • Tay Road Bridge
  • Tentsmuir Forest

References

  1. "The Tay Bridges". Tay Estuary. http://www.tayestuary.co.uk/taybridgeinfo.htm. Retrieved 26 February 2012.