A YOUTUBE star has gone viral on social media for attempting to travel across Scotland's longest river.
Popular content creator Ed Pratt is attempting to travel the whole length of the River Tay, but with one rule – he must stay within the boundaries of the river.
With more than 550,000 subscribers on YouTube, 447,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 100,000 followers on TikTok, Pratt is known for his "Source to Sea" videos, where he travels from a river's source all the way to the sea.
At the end of 2024, Pratt completed the challenge with the River Thames in England, travelling from Thames Head in Cirencester to Sheerness, which is located on the Thames Estuary.
With his latest attempt, Pratt has challenged himself to make the journey across the River Tay – the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Britain.
Pratt said he was starting the challenge at Ben Oss in the southern Highlands, where he said he believed the source of the river to be.
It is widely accepted that Ben Lui – which is adjacent to Ben Oss – is the source of the River Tay. It is unclear whether Pratt misspoke or has been mistaken, although The National has contacted him for clarification.
Pratt has set himself only one rule: "In order to make progress I must travel within the bounds of the river."
While Pratt must not leave the water in order to complete the challenge successfully, he can be either "in or on the water" – meaning he is allowed to use a boat.
Pratt said he set off from Ben Oss on Saturday, where he shared the initial difficulty he was experiencing making his way down a waterfall while carrying a heavy backpack.
@mredpratt Source to Sea down Scotland’s Longest River! Day 1. Here we go! 🏴 This solo expedition down the River Tay only has one rule; ‘in order to make progress I must travel within the bounds of the river.’ Is that actually possible? I guess we’ll find out together!
♬ original sound - Ed Pratt
"It's been pretty sketchy", Pratt said in his first video of the series, which has since amassed more than one million views on Instagram and more than 300,000 views on TikTok.
The video then cut to show him slipping, adding that he had to leave the water to drop his backpack off further down the stream before climbing back up again to re-enter the water and continuing with the challenge.
"I just realised it was unsafe," he said to the camera.
"I did all that because I didn't want to skip any section of the river. This is the challenge, after all."
While Pratt was initially wading through the river, the water level has since become deep enough that he is able to paddle with a packraft, an inflatable boat.
As of Thursday, he has completed 15 miles out of his 115-mile journey.
In a video posted on Thursday morning, Pratt said he was at the far end of Loch Lubhair in Glen Dochart, which the river feeds into and then runs out of.
@mredpratt This solo expedition down the River Tay only has one rule; ‘in order to make progress I must travel within the bounds of the river.’ Is that actually possible? I guess we’ll find out together! Total distance traveled: 15 / 115miles
♬ original sound - Ed Pratt
He added that he expects to hit a series of rapids within the next day, which could prove dangerous.
Social media users have shared their excitement at following along with Pratt's journey.
"These updates have become a highlight of my morning. What a beautiful adventure this is," one person commented.
Another said: "This is seriously my favourite thing on this platform."
