The Bass Rock On Visit To The Outer Firth Of Forth Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video clip of the Bass Rock on visit to the outer Firth of Forth from the coast of East Lothian. The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass, Scottish Gaelic: Creag nam Bathais or Scottish Gaelic: Am Bas, is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth 3 miles North East of North Berwick in East Lothian. This a a steep sided volcanic rock, 351 ft high at its highest point, and is home to a large colony of gannets. The rock is currently uninhabited, but historically has been settled by an early Christian hermit, and later was the site of an important castle, which was, after the Commonwealth, used as a prison. The island was in the ownership of the Lauder family for almost six centuries, and now belongs to Sir Hew Fleetwood Hamilton Dalrymple. A lighthouse was constructed on the rock in 1902, and the remains of a chapel are located there. The Bass Rock features in numerous works of fiction, including Robert Stevenson's Catriona. The Bass Rock Lighthouse on Bass Rock is a 66 feet high lighthouse, built in 1902 by David Stevenson, who demolished the 13th century keep, or governor's house, and some other buildings within the castle for the stone. The commissioners of the Northern Lighthouse Board decided that a lighthouse should be erected on the Bass Rock in July 1897 along with another light at Barns Ness near Dunbar. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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