8 of the Most Stunning Rivers in Scotland

The Tay is Scotland's longest river and starts out life as a tiny spring on Ben Lui. It flows through adventurous towns such as Dunkeld, Kenmore, Aberfeldy and Perth, before reaching the North Sea.

Visit: Stanley Mills, Taymouth Marina Watersports and Perthshire Wildlife Tours

A gushing glacial torrent from starting out at the cold slopes of Broad Cairn, South Esk leaves Scotland through the Montrose Basin. With wildlife, wildflowers and wildcats to spot along its course, it's easy to see why it's part of a carefully protected Special Area of Conservation.

Visit: Glen Clova, Loch Brandy, Tulloch Hill and Inch Park

Drive across the Laxford Bridge and you'll find yourself enjoying 360° views of the River Laxford. The shortest river on our list at only 4-miles long, it runs between two lochs before meeting the Atlantic, in the wild north west corner of the Highlands.

Visit: North Coast 500, Durness, and Isle of Handa

From south west to north east, there's another Dee to discover! This river bubbles through Royal Deeside, Queen Victoria's favourite holiday spot, before making its way to its estuary at Aberdeen Harbour.

Visit: Balmoral Castle, Muir of Dinnet NNR, Braemar, Ballater and Linn of Dee

Moving swiftly downhill from the Galloway Hills through the wide bays of Loch Ken, the Dee swirls past beautiful scenic spots and peaceful villages in Dumfries & Galloway, along its journey to the Solway Firth.

Visit: Threave Castle, Galloway Activity Centre, Galloway Forest Park and the Artists' Town of Kirkcudbright

We have the sparkling waters of the River Spey to thank for flavouring some of Scotland's finest single malt whiskies in a region with around 50 working distilleries. Rising in the Monadhliath Mountains, it twists and turns until it reaches the Moray Firth. 

Visit: Loch Insh Watersports, Speyside Cooperage, Macallan Distillery, the Malt Whisky Trail and The Speyside Way

The famous Tweed cloth derives from the name of this river, which glides through the Scottish Borders from the Lowther Hills and into the North Sea, with pretty towns sitting on the riverbanks such as Peebles, Galashiels, Selkirk and Kelso.

Visit: Abbotsford House, Melrose Abbey, St Boswells and Scott's View

This river played an important role in the area's shale industry. A walk along the river tells tales of Scotland's first oil boom and the 'shale people' that worked in the area. With an impressive ox-bow lake at Almondvale, it travels through the Lothians and drains at Cramond into the Firth of Forth.

Visit: Cramond, Almondell and Calderwood Country Park and The Shale Trail