Fidra
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| Fidra | |
|---|---|
| Location
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| OS grid reference: | NT512869 |
| Names | |
| Gaelic name: | Fiodra |
| Norse name: | Fiðrey |
| Meaning of name: | Feathery island |
| Area and Summit | |
| Area: | c.10ha |
| Highest elevation: | c.20 m |
| Population | |
| Population (2001): | 0
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| Groupings | |
| Island Group: | Islands of the Forth |
| Local Authority: | East Lothian |
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| References: | [1][2][3] |
Fidra, archaically Fidrey,[4] is an uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth, off eastern Scotland. Its name is believed to be Old Norse in origin, referring to the large number of bird feathers found there as (like the nearby Bass Rock) it has a substantial avian population. It is now an RSPB reserve. The town of North Berwick lies to the south-east, Gullane is to the south-west and the nature reserve of Yellowcraigs and village of Dirleton, to which parish Fidra belongs,[5] are to the south.
Upon the island are ruins of an old chapel, or lazaretto for the sick, which was dedicated in 1165 to St. Nicholas.[6]
Fidra can be landed on via a primitive jetty on the west of the island. There is an automated lighthouse and also remotely operated cameras which send live pictures to the watching visitors at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick.[7]
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[edit] Cultural references
It is said that Robert Louis Stevenson based his map of Treasure Island on the shape of Fidra. He often visited the beaches at the area known today as Yellowcraigs. He also mentioned it in his novel Catriona[8]
Fidra Books is a publishing house, named after the island, and which uses it as part of its logo.[9]
Marillion also briefly mention Fidra in the song, Warm Wet Circles, where it says "She nervously undressed in the dancing beams of the Fidra Lighthouse",[10] because apparently the coast nearby is a courting spot.
[edit] Geography
Fidra consists of three sections, a hill at one end with the lighthouse on it, a low lying section in the middle, effectively an isthmus, and a stack at the other end.
Like the other islands near North Berwick, Fidra is the result of volcanic activity millions of years ago.
[edit] Lighthouse
The light like all others in the UK is currently automated (since 1970), and flashes every 24 seconds. It was built in 1885.
[edit] References
- ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
- ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
- ^ Ordnance Survey
- ^ British History Online
- ^ Martine, John, Fourteen Parishes of the County of Haddington, Edinburgh, 1890, p.50.
- ^ Martine (1890) p.51
- ^ webcam
- ^ Overview of Fidra
- ^ Fidrabooks
- ^ Marillion
[edit] External links
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