After the Farne Islands the day before we headed back to Scotland and North Berwick for an early visit to Bass Rock itself. Because of Covid lockdowns hardly anyone had been on the rock for months so our visit would definitely be interesting!
Day 4: Depart hotel at 4am for North Berwick (packed breakfast). 6am to 10am: Bass Rock landing trip, giving early morning light on spectacular nesting gannets. Lunch break (café, own expense). Return to hotel for rest followed by evening meal at 5pm. Evening photography of Dunstanburgh Castle
North Berwick; 30th June 2021
Definitely an early start and I think most of dozed as we made our way up to North Berwick. Once there we headed for the harbour and found somewhere to sit and eat our packed breakfast. Our guides were there and as we chatted we learnt more about the history of the rock and its use as a prison in the 1600s.
To get onto the rock we would have to jump from the boat onto wet (and slippy) steps and then climb these up on the rock itself. Other steps should be easier as we climbed up to the main nesting sites. This initial jump was dependent on the wave height and if the waves persisted in being too high we would have had to abandon the trip completely. The boat captain was checking conditions with early morning fishing boats and then we did get the all clear to go.
Bass Rock: 30th June 2021
Approaching Bass Rock and the steps that we would have to jump onto and then climb
Once on the rock and safely up the steps I looked back at my workshop colleagues as they left the boat. Our rucksacks had been out of the boat and then we had taken it in turns to leave.
On the way up I was more interested in the gannets than the route away from the dock.
In places the path was marked by a low wire fence on both sides. But the sheer number of birds looking for space to nest meant the path had nests on very close on both sides and in places on the path itself. We had been given plastic sheets to use to protect our legs as we made our way past the nests. The birds on the nests made their displeasure very clear as the pecked at us as we past hitting the plastic sheets with loud “taps”. I was very grateful for the protection but protecting my legs did stop me from taking any pictures!
We were very close to the birds and I have never been so close to so many birds ever and as we climbed I became more excited at what I could see, hear and smell!
In the middle
We came to open flat area. In front the rock rose up and was covered in nests. Behind us was a ridge that we had climbed up. To our right there was a ruined building and to left the flat area ended at a cliff with tall rock places on both sides.
This would be the area that we took most of the pictures of our stay.
I was alternating between watching the birds fly in over the ridge, the nesting birds and the birds leaving out over the cliff.
There was suddenly a lot of activity and the birds seemed to rushing away from their nests. From the ridge I could see the same boat that we had been on two days before chumming and bring birds down from the rock. On the boat was Sue Blythe who I had met earlier on the workshop.
Back at the ridge…
Our guide explained that where we were standing had been a deep cleft in the rock and many years (hundreds?) of guano had filled it in.
We could get close enough to the nests to see the fledglings.
The ridge did have a small fence…
It is still hard to better describe the sloping rock face covered in nests.
