British Islands pilot Author:United States Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: sunken rocks extending 200 yards distance beyond. There is a sandy bay to the westward, between the rocks and Kinghorn Ness, all dry at low-water springs. Kin... more »ghorn.—The village of Kinghorn lies at the head of the sandy bay referred to. The village is now a health resort, but the origin of its existence was Scotts's shipbuilding yard since abolished. Population in 1911 was 1,549. It has a station of the North British Railway. Southern shore.—The approach to the Firth of Forth lies between Fifeness on the north and Bass Rock, off Gun Head, on the south, as before stated, 12.5 miles apart. The Isle of May, about midway, has been described. Bass Rock, a remarkable and well-known pyramidal rock, precipitous in every part, but particularly on its northeast and northwest sides, is nearly 1 mile in circumference, and rises to a height of 379 feet. Bass Rock may be seen from a considerable distance in every direction, and its rocky face, made brilliantly white by the deposit of the numerous sea fowl which frequent it, and its white lighthouse, are sufficient to distinguish it. The north and northeast sides of the rock are steep-to, 15 fathoms being the general depth close alongside, but on the other sides the depth is less, and gradually decreases toward the mainland, from which it is separated by a distance of a little more than 1 mile. The surface of the rock shelves a little on the southwest side, where landing may be effected in moderate weather. Directly above is the lighthouse and the old and ruined fortalice formerly built for its defence. Visitors to Bass Rock are admitted through a doorway in it, the key of which is kept at Canty Bay. Light.—On the south side of Bass Rock is erected a white tower 67 feet high. From it is exhibited, at a height of 150 feet abov...« less