Islands in the Firth of Forth

Lying between the Lothians and Fife coasts is the Firth of Forth; many of the islands on this stretch of water are are protected by the Forth Islands Special Protection Area.

The largest of the islands is the Isle of May; it is also the most easterly of all the islands, located about 5 miles/8km southeast of Anstruther. To the southwest, located 2 miles northeast of North Berwick, is the most prominent of the islands, Bass Rock; it is sometimes referred to as the Ailsa Craig of the east due to its similarity to the Clyde island.

To the west of Bass Rock, sitting to the north of North Berwick, is Craigleith; the rock from the island is used to manufacture curling stones. Continuing west from Craigleith, the next island is Lamb with Fidra, sitting about 2 miles northwest of North Berwick, further to the west; in 1885 a lighthouse was erected on Fidra and in 1970 it became the first lighthouse to be fully automatic in the Northern Lighthouse Service. Eyebroughy sits slightly further to the west.

Continuing west, the next island encountered is Inchkeith, situated about half way between Leith and Kinghorn. Inchmickery sits about a mile north of Edinburgh, with Inchcolm to the northwest and Cramond Island to the southwest.

The most westerly of the islands is Inchgarvie, located beside the Forth Bridge; this island was intended to be used for the foundations for a planned earlier bridge that was abandoned following the Tay Bridge disaster and the foundations that were built for that bridge can still be seen.

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