The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass, is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) offshore, and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volcanic rock, 107 metres (351 ft) at its highest point.
The Bass Rock is home to over 150,000 gannets at the peak of the season. The gannets spend most of the year on the Bass, until the end of October when they set out on their long journey south, with many going as far as the west coast of Africa.
The lower ledges of the Bass are home to shags, guillemots and razorbills, with seals hauling up on the rocks below.
The Bass Rock was formed 320 million years ago and is the remains of one of many active volcanoes in the area. With an incredible past, it has played a key role throughout the history of Scotland – a religious retreat during early Christianity; fortress and prison in the time of the Covenanters and Jacobites; and a strategic stronghold during the times of the Scottish and English wars. Notably it has been owned by the Hamilton-Dalrymple family for the last 300 years.
The Bass Rock features in many works of fiction, including Robert Louis Stevenson’s Catriona and The Lion is Rampant by the Scottish novelist Ross Laidlaw.
