Bass Rock

Bass Rock
Scottish Gaelic nameAm Bas
Meaning of nameUncertain, possibly toponymic from Gaelic ‘bas’, meaning palm
Bass Rock (top) off the North Berwick coast
Bass Rock (top) off the North Berwick coast
Location
Bass Rock is located in East Lothian
Bass Rock
Bass Rock
Bass Rock shown within East Lothian
OS grid referenceNT602873
Coordinates56°05′N 2°38′W / 56.08°N 2.64°W / 56.08; -2.64
Physical geography
Island groupIslands of the Forth
Area3 ha (7 acres)
Highest elevation107 m (351 ft)
Administration
Council areaEast Lothian
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population0
Lymphad
References[1][2][3][4]
The Bass Rock viewed from Tantallon Castle in August 2024

The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass[5] ( /bæs/), (Scottish Gaelic: Creag nam Bathais or Scottish Gaelic: Am Bas) is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Approximately 2 km (1 mi) offshore, and 5 km (3 mi) north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volcanic plug, 107 m (351 ft) at its highest point, and is home to a large colony of gannets. The rock is uninhabited, but historically has been settled by an early Christian hermit, and later was the site of an important castle, which after the Commonwealth period was used as a prison. The island belongs to Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple, whose family acquired it in 1706, and before to the Lauder family for almost six centuries. The Bass Rock Lighthouse was constructed on the rock in 1902, and the remains of an ancient chapel survive.

The Bass Rock features in many works of fiction, including Lion Let Loose by Nigel Tranter, Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Lion Is Rampant by the Scottish novelist Ross Laidlaw and The New Confessions by William Boyd. Most recently it features prominently in The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld, which won the 2021 Stella Prize.

  1. ^ Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands, General Register Office for Scotland, 28 November 2003, archived from the original on 25 May 2007, retrieved 9 July 2007
  2. ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  3. ^ "Get-a-Map". Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 16 October 2003. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  4. ^ "Bass Rock". Gazetteer for Scotland. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  5. ^ M'Crie, Miller, Anderson, Fleming & Balfour (1847). The Bass Rock. Edinburgh