Bass Rock

A Natural Wonder…

From the shore, one might mistake the Bass Rock as a floating iceberg off the coast but upon further inspection you’ll find that what you are actually looking at is it’s feathered inhabitants and their guano!

 Home to the largest colony of Northern Gannets in the world, the Bass Rock stands 107 metres above sea level at its highest point. This plug of volcanic rock covers around 3 hectares at the southern entrance to the Firth of Forth. The island has jagged edges and a steep drop with a tunnel stretching from east to west.

As well as providing a nesting ground to thousands of creatures, Bass Rock was once also inhabited by humans. Dating back to 600 AD with Saint Baldred, some might say it has a very colourful past, housing people from royalty, prisoners and even some Jacobites! Today, although the prison was demolished, you can still see the ruins of Saint Baldred’s Chapel along with the lighthouse built in 1903 (practically a new build in comparison to it’s neighbour). Bet you didn’t know you had all this sitting at your doorstep!

  • Northern Gannets

    Having first gained their scientific name ‘Morus Bassanus’ at the Bass Rock by ornithologists in the 19th century, the colony that resides there now makes up 10% of the world’s population with 75,000 pairs returning to the Bass each year. Gannets are the largest seabirds found in Britain, with a wingspan of around 2 metres and can dive as deep as 20 metres, reaching up to 60mph when entering the water.

    Despite being large in stature, the gannets can be seen huddled together with 2 nests per square metre, which is why from a distance they look like a sheet on top of the rock. Striking white in colour with a yellow head and black beak and wingtips, they are a very distinctive bird whose features are quite pointy and angular.

I think it’s worth noting that whilst on a test run for our trips in March (which is what we would consider as our ‘off season’ as the birds haven’t fully returned) the skipper (who isn’t easily impressed) was astounded at what he saw, pleasantly surprise and a bit gobsmacked, as were the local photographers we took out! Which is why we are so excited to be able to offer it to our passengers as we are positive it will be an experience you won’t want to miss.

To visit the Gannets join our May Bass photography session