Bass Rock

We take a nautical meander this week as we head to North Berwick which is located on the south-east coast of Scotland overlooking the Firth of Forth, in the county of East Lothian, approximately 405 miles north of London and 25 miles east-north-east of Edinburgh. It is a charming coastal town with a small harbour and excellent sandy beaches, with two defining physical landmarks being the 613ft volcanic crag North Berwick Law, which overlooks the town, and the 315ft Bass Rock.

Bass Rock is situated in the Firth of Forth, two miles east of North Berwick and one mile off the mainland, a huge trachyte plug rising 315 feet, with three sides of sheer cliff, and a tunnel piercing the rock to a depth of 105 metres. The island plays host to more than 150,000 Gannets and is the largest single rock gannetry in the world, described famously by Sir David Attenborough as "one of the wildlife wonders of the world".

The Rock has a rich and varied history and previously housed a State Prison which was constructed in 1671. In 1706, the Bass was sold to Sir Hugh Dalrymple, whose descendants still own it today. But the true owners of the Bass Rock are, of course, the birds, for almost every available inch is occupied by razorbills, guillemots, cormorants, puffins, eider ducks and various gull species. But the bird of the Bass is the Gannet with a breeding colony of 30-40,000 pairs, making the Bass a mecca for international ornithologists. It is thus only fitting that this superb sea bird's Latin name "Sula Bassana" should be derived from the word Bass.

Our mode of transportation to the rock is by RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) from The Seabird Centre which is located on a rocky promontory on the north side of North Berwick Harbour. From here we are fitted with our bespoke waterproofs and offered procedures in the event of an emergency which we are reassured have never been used. Fully kitted out in our bright waterproofs and life jackets we are marched along the harbour to the RIB like astronauts to a launch pad. The RIB is moored at the old pier and is equipped with two 250 horse powered engines. As we leave the speed restrictions of the harbour the horses are fully unleashed and we look on with wide eyed excitement as we crash through the high rolling waves.

The first port of call is a small island en-route known as Craigleith. Once used as a rabbit-warren to provide food, Craigleith rises to 80 feet and is now noted for its seabirds, including cormorants, shag, guillemot and puffins. Geologically, Craigleith is a laccolith, a dome-shape igneous intrusion, composed of essexite, a rock popular for the manufacture of curling stones. While cruising close to the rock face we are visited by a couple of inquisitive seals who lead us to their cave which sadly is too small for the RIB to enter.
As we leave Craigleith we ride the high rollers once again as we make great speed towards Bass Rock. From a distance the rock looks as though it has been subjected to a cloud explosion of white emulsion, on closer inspection you realise that each white dot is in fact a Gannet. Like pixels on a computer screen the sheer volume of their numbers create a tapestry of colour that changes daily by the ever expanding numbers on the Island from April to October. The Gannets are oblivious to our presence and carry on with their mating rituals, preening and turf wars as we capture their bizarre rituals on camera. Alas the time passes all too quickly and we zoom off to moor south of the island to capture some distant snaps before riding the waves back to the tranquil waters of the harbour.

Back on terra firma we look over at the island like kids who have just experienced the exhilaration of their first fairground ride and draw envious looks at the next party of rock visitors as they get kitted out in their wetsuits in preparation for a journey that we know will live long in their memories.