The Bass Rock, a steep sided volcanic rock off shore from the east of the Scottish mainland on the outer part of the Firth of Forth.


The Bass Rock, a steep sided volcanic rock off shore from the east of the Scottish mainland on the outer part of the Firth of Forth. The rock has played an important part in Scottish history. The castle, dating from the early 15th century, has held a number of important prisoners throughout the ages, including the famous Covenantors and captives from the Jacobite lighhouse was constructed in 1902. The Rock is owned by Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple who allowsthe Scottish Seabird centre to be guardians of this world important sea bird breeding site. Boat tours go to the island, either circling it or specialist landing visits. The island is home to 150,000 gannets during the breeding season. The rock appears white from their droppings and the noise of the nesting birds is considerable! The colony size showed an increase of 24% between 2009 and 2014 but experts believe that the is little scope for a further increase given the huge numbers of breeding birds.


Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Bass Rock near North Berwick East Lothian Scotland
Photo credit: © Brian Hartshorn / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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