At the beginning of the summer I embarked on a wee day trip out to Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth with Sula Boat trips. I was mesmerised by the location, history and wildlife and wanted to write something about it.

We left North Berwick harbour and headed out to sea to see the two islands, Craigleith and then circling around the dominating Bass Rock.

The first island of Craigleith, meaning “Rock of Leith” in Gaelic is about one kilometre from the coast and we only briefly stopped near the island to look for some puffins. We were in luck that day and I was surprised by how small they actually are! The higher areas of the rock are also home to cormorants that like nesting up on the slopes, but I didn’t see any close enough.

Craigleith was once the largest puffin colony in all of the UK, with an estimated 28,000 pairs in 1999 thriving on the island.

However, since then there has been a downward turn in numbers for a variety of reasons. The warmer winters, and the invasion of the non-endemic plant tree mallow (which grows up to 3 metres high) blocked their burrows which they use for rearing their wee chicks or “pufflings”. It was so concerning, the puffin numbers once dropped to around 1000 puffins left on the island.

Then in 2006 the Scottish Seabird centre in North Berwick began the SOS Puffin Project to try and take control of this invasive plant. Overtime, the puffins have been returning and slowly the numbers appear to be improving. The project hasn't officially done a puffin count in the last couple of years due to the concerns around avian flu.

After visiting the area around Craigleith it was time to head over the choppy sea to the imposing Bass Rock. The journey over was a bit choppy, and I do recommend taking some form of seasickness meds or wrist bands if you don’t have sea legs!

The Wildlife on Bass Rock

Approaching Bass Rock you first hear the sounds of the thousands of sea birds squawking and begin to realise that the white colour of the rock is indeed not rock, but seabirds!

The rock is home to the largest gannet colony in the UK, they make their home there for the majority of the year from late February through to the end of October. Then they will fly south to the warmer climate of West Africa.

It is estimated there are around 150,000 seabirds on the rock and boy do you hear and smell them. It has been reported that the bird droppings left give off 152,00 kg of ammonia per year, which is the equivalent to the work of 10 million chickens!

The flat top shape of the rock makes the perfect habitat for these birds and during peak season the island is also home to razorbills, shags, eider and guillemots.

However it is the northern gannet that dominates. The seabird is one of the largest seabirds in the UK, they can have a wingspan of up to 2 metres and you can see them gliding high above as you near the rock. They can only lay one egg at a time, and according to our guide can become very territorial over their nests.

The world renowned naturalist Sir David Attenbourgh has described the island as “one of the 12 wildlife wonders of the world” and having seen the birds up close myself, I can agree with that statement! If you are a photographer you will adore your trip out here.

The History

Geologically speaking the rock is the remnants of an ancient volcano that erupted 330 million years ago leaving behind the very tough igneous rock, phonolite. It was the well known Scottish geologist James Hutton that first recognised the rock type.

Over time, the rock has served many purposes and the first note in the history books is from around 606AD when Christians set up a secluded chapel.

The first noted inhabitant was Baldred, a evangelist who was sent east to the Lothians from Glasgow to spread Christianity. However, it was the Lauder family that were the first official “owners” of the Bass in the 12th century.

The Lauder Family

The ancient Lauder clan were known as “Lairds of the Bass” who were extensive landowners and royalist supporters. The land around nearby Tyninghame beach and Bass Rock was granted to the Lauder family by King Malcolm 3rd in around 1093. They were given the land for helping him recover the Crown from Macbeth.

Sir Robert Lauder was a companion of William Wallace and back on dry land in North Berwick there is a stone laid on the floor of the Auld Kirk that has the Latin inscription

“Here lies the good Robert Lauder, great Laird of congalton and Bass who died in 1311”

The Lauder family crest, appropriately, has a gannet sitting upon a rock.

The Lauder’s built their castle near to the only landing place on the island. They had access to fresh water by use of a well, the location of the foghorn today marked the location of the well.

Mary Queen of Scots had a garrison of 100 men and a number of French troops stationed on the rock. They were positioned there to defend the Firth of Forth and access towards Edinburgh.

Robert Lauder was a big supporter of Mary and supported her at the battle of Carberry Tower (which ended in defeat).

Throughout their time there the Lauders received some very important royal visitors including King James IV in 1497 and later King James VI in 1581. It’s been said that King James VI was so impressed with the rock that he tried to buy it from William Lauder.

The Lauder family had considerable influence throughout the 13 and 1400’s and retained links with Bass Rock for nearly six centuries. The last of the Lauder family, William Lauder died without an heir and his widow fell into debt and after creditors took the castle, she finally gave up ownership in 1630.

Oliver Cromwell Invasion

In 1650 Oliver Cromwell and his forces invaded the area and after a few failed attempts it was finally surrendered to the Cromwell administration in 1652.

Bass Rock was transformed into an island prison and during the invasion of Oliver Cromwell, the castle was used as a prison for religious and political prisoners. Thirty nine Covenanters were sent out to Bass Rock.

The rock’s position was also helpful in bombarding supply ships heading to the port of Leith. One ship, “John O London” was captured, looted and sunk. The ship contained the personal luggage of Oliver Cromwell and he was not best pleased.

The Jacobites

Following the Jacobite uprising, the island was used as a prison and held four officers. The guards at the time were too relaxed and convinced that they could not possibly escape from the island as it was surrounded by cold stormy seas. However, in June 1691 the four prisoners managed to seize bass rock (the guards at the time were unloading coal).

The bold four quickly overpowered the rest of their captors, and with the prison’s cannon now pointing at them the entire garrison had no choice but to sail away back to the land.

Coincidentally, at the same time, back on the mainland, four other Jacobite men stole a longboat loaded full with provisions including a large cask of brandy, several barrels of beer, butter, salt, vinegar and enough dried fish to keep them going for months.

The government sent troops the next morning down to the coast, to stop any more men making it to the island, while two boats were sent to circle the island to stop any approaching ships.

But it proved near impossible to stop small boats, some locals would row themselves out to the rock. When they made it to the island they brought a constant supply of provisions - and even women.

News of the prison’s capture eventually reached France, and to King James VII who was exiled there. France was supporting the Jacobite cause to restore a Catholic monarch, and they sent a few ships to deliver even more supplies (included some of the best French wine and brandy).

The Jacobites held the island for three years, until government forces were finally able to travel to the island to discuss terms of surrender. The Jacobites did not want the government to know that they were running low on food and supplies, so when the representatives arrived they laid out a banquet with their last remaining food. In the government negotiator's eyes this made it look like the garrison had the means to hold onto the rock for several more months.

The Jacobites were granted a full pardon and free to go and any captured supporters were also released. They could keep all their weapons, sell their stolen goods and leave wherever they pleased. They were also offered transport to France, should they wish for it.

The only thing they had to do was to return the keys to the Bass Rock. These terms were accepted and the Jacobites returned the rock and castle, facing no further consequences.

The prison remained in use for a few years before it was demolished in the 18th century. Thereafter, the rock was sold on to the Dalrymple family to which it still belongs to this day.

The Lighthouse

As you approach the island you’ll begin to see the striking white lighthouse.

The Bass Rock lighthouse was constructed in 1902 by David Stevenson (cousin of writer Robert. L. Stevenson). Leftover stone from the castle and governor’s house was used in the construction.

Originally the lighthouse was lit by gas derived from paraffin oil and was maintained by a lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse was finally converted to electricity and remotely controlled in 1988 - this meant no human resident was needed on the island and has remained uninhabited (by humans) ever since.

Robert L. Stevenson did go on to mention the lighthouse. He frequently spent his holidays in nearby North Berwick.

In his writing he mentioned Bass Rock in his novels, “Kidnapped” (1886) and “Catriona” (1893).

“It is just the one crag of rock, as everybody knows, but great enough to carve a city from”.

How to get to Bass Rock

As previously mentioned I took the 2 hour trip out from North Berwick with Sula Boat trips, the guide on board was very informative.

The Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick also offer more extensive information on the sea bird and wildlife. It is situated next to the North Berwick Harbour and they have a very good gift shop filled with photography and bird like items if you wish to take home something.

They also offer landing trips on the island, they are geared towards photographers and run from Easter weekend until the autumn.

The Seabird centre also have a webcam link that you can watch the nesting birds on camera, I will link the website here.

North Berwick in East Lothian can be reached by rail links from Edinburgh or by main A1 motorway that has links south to England.

Things you need to know before you visit

The boat tour was great, however you need to be prepared for the every changing weather conditions. I visited in May and although the weather seemed OK on land, the change in temperature and wind was more noticeable.

Things to bring:

Waterproof and warm clothing
Sea sickness tablets or wearable bracelets
Binoculars and zoom lens camera
Water to drink (onboard the boat I went on there is no available shop etc).
Please note: All photographs within this article are the sole property of Travel Kat Tours and must not be used without permission.

Bass Rock: A Brief History & Guide.