Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay

A trip on the Tay estuary shows up a lot of engineering. Most of it is far from beautiful- McGonagall was referring to the bridge that fell down.
We set off from icy cold Tayport, and very soon arrived at one of the older constructions on the river- an old wooden tower which had to be landed on.

Ken stole my boat, leaving me marooned in 2 feet of guano. I can still smell it now.

It was then over to Broughty Ferry- the most solid looking bit of civil engineering of the day,

and on up past Dundee docks.

Climbing on to this one might have been more challenging.

Some of the riverside flats in Dundee are so close to the water that you can nearly paddle under them.

The Tay Road Bridge is a Plain Jane compared to the Forth,

but next to it is the elegance of the Discovery, registered in Port Stanley. Unfortunately a big gate stops access from the river.

The railway bridge is definitely more elegant than its sister. It combines a fair gradient with a big sweeping curve. The remains of the fallen bridge run along it. McGonagall gives the history- the whole poem is here.

That train is heading for my house.
We had a short cold break then caught the ebb tide back towards Tayport.

Where there is a reminder of another astonishing construction- one for another trip.

Where's the Water?

Rivers are very low just now- I can't remember such a dry start to the summer. Where's the water hasn't registered much over a scrape level for ages, and the Tay is the only river near us with water.


The section at Stanley is still fun, even at low water. I've had a trip here with one of the CWW lads recently- he enjoyed popping out at the weir-


But that water is shallow, and I didn't fancy a head plant in it!.
I also had a trip down from the Isla Bridge with Jonathon, son of a friend. It was his first paddling trip. He's a Ray Mears survival enthusiast and had an emergency kit that was heavier that the boat! It was a lovely day with big bouncy waves down through the Thistlebrig Rapid.
The boat is a Sevylor inflatable- far comfier than a proper open boat for those of us with creaking knees.

Summer's nearly here!

It's not all about paddling.


But the water is still pretty cold in April! A fine day out with FCAG travelling down from the Isla to Stanley.

Wee Eric

 

There has been some fantastic weather this winter, despite the cold. This was a short day on the Tay at Stanley. The water was high, giving a fantastic play spot at "Wee Eric".