Reviews
Crawford's mesmerising book charts his wanderings over the years over the Tay's banks from hill to sea, weaving together, as he goes, the history of the landscape and his personal connections to the river
Sunday Post
An impressively researched book, part-personal memoir, part guide-book
Country Life
The history comes interspersed with evocative passages of nature writing... Crawford has various personal connections with the Tay, to the extent that this feels less like a voyage of exploration and more like having a local show you around their home
The Scotsman
Never less than captivating. In all, this is a charming, meandering journey
Scottish Field
Crawford has a very personal connection to this river, and as he walks along its banks, from its source on Ben Lui until it spills into the North Sea at Dundee, we find parallels between his own experience and the broader history of the Tay
Geographer Magazine
About the Book
Join Robin Crawford on a personal journey from the source of the River Tay to the sea.
With the widest catchment area of any river in Britain, the Tay drains much of the lower Highlands of Scotland. A vast network of lochs and smaller bodies of water feed the Isla, Garry, Tummel, Almond and Earn, which all flow into this mighty river.
As Robin Crawford walks along the banks of the Tay, we delve into the history of this landscape and his personal connection with it, from hill walks with friends into the mountains of the Tay’s source to his student days in Dundee, where the Tay eventually spills out into the North Sea.
Along the route we dip into the river’s story: the gold-panners on the river Cononish, the Earthquake House outside Comrie, Beatrix Potter’s holiday home near Dunkeld. Throughout, the river is our constant companion, connecting the small moments on which events turn and lives are changed forever.
The Author
Robin A. Crawford
Robin A. Crawford is an author and illustrator, with a particular interest in the culture and natural heritage of Scotland. His first book, Into the Peatlands: A Journey Through the Moorland Year, was longlisted for the Highland Book Prize. He lives in Auchtermuchty, in Fife.
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