Firth of Forth

{{Infobox body of water

| name = Firth of Forth

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| image = The Forth bridges from the air (geograph 5835049).jpg

| alt = A view of the firth with three metal bridges across it

| caption = The Forth bridges looking northwest

| pushpin_map = Scotland #Scotland Fife

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| location = Scotland, United Kingdom

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| basin_countries = Scotland, United Kingdom

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| embedded = {{Designation list

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| designation1 = Ramsar

| designation1_date = 30 October 2001

| designation1_number = 1111{{Cite web|title=Firth of Forth|website=Ramsar Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1111|access-date=25 April 2018}}}}

}}

The Firth of Forth ({{Langx|gd|Linne Foirthe}}) is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers.{{cite web|title=Forth area management plan 2010 – 2015|url=https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/37297/forth_area-management-plan.pdf#page=5|website=SEPA|access-date=9 April 2017}}

Name

Firth is a cognate of fjord, a Norse word meaning a narrow inlet.

Forth stems from the name of the river; this is {{lang|cel-x-proto|vo-rit-ia}} ('slow running') in Proto-Celtic, yielding {{lang|gd|Foirthe}} in Old Gaelic and {{lang|cy|Gweryd}} in Welsh.{{cite book |last=Field |first=John |title=Place Names of Great Britain and Ireland |page=74 |location=London |publisher=David & Charles |date=1980 }}

It was known as {{lang|la|Bodotria}} in Roman times and was referred to as {{lang|grc|Βοδερία}} in Ptolemy's Geography. In the Norse sagas it was known as the {{Lang|non|Myrkvifiörd}}.{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Joseph |last2=Hjaltalín |first2=Jón A. |last3=Goudie |first3=Gilbert |date=3 January 1873 |title=The Orkneyinga saga |url=https://archive.org/details/orkneyingasaga00goudgoog |access-date=3 January 2018 |publisher=Edmonston and Douglas |publication-place=Edinburgh |via=Internet Archive }} An early Welsh name is {{lang|cy|Merin Iodeo}}, or the 'sea of {{lang|la|Iudeu}}'.{{Cite book |last=Fraser |first=James E. |title=From Caledonia to Pictland: Scotland to 795 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2009 |location=Edinburgh |pages=171}}

Geography and geology

Geologically, the Firth of Forth is a fjord, formed by the Forth Glacier in the last glacial period.{{Cite web|url=http://www.landforms.eu/Lothian/Firth%20of%20Forth.htm|title=Firth of Forth|website=landforms.eu|access-date=|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20191207100854/http://www.landforms.eu/Lothian/Firth%20of%20Forth.htm|archive-date = 7 December 2019}} The drainage basin for the Firth of Forth covers a wide geographic area including places as far from the shore as Ben Lomond, Cumbernauld, Harthill, Penicuik and the edges of Gleneagles Golf Course.{{cite web|title=No. 87 – The Firth of Forth|url=http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/review/087.pdf#page=12|website=Scottish Natural Heritage|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409200825/http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/review/087.pdf#page=12|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=dead}}

Many towns line the shores, as well as the petrochemical complexes at Grangemouth, commercial docks at Leith, former oil rig construction yards at Methil, the ship breaking facility at Inverkeithing and the former naval dockyard at Rosyth, along with numerous other industrial areas, including the Forth Bridgehead area, encompassing Rosyth, Inverkeithing and the southern edge of Dunfermline, Burntisland, Kirkcaldy, Bo'ness and Leven.

=Bridges=

The firth is bridged in two areas. The Kincardine Bridge and the Clackmannanshire Bridge cross it at Kincardine, while further east the Forth Bridge, the Forth Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing cross from North Queensferry to South Queensferry.

History

The Romans reportedly made a bridge of around 900 boats, probably at South Queensferry.{{cite news|last1=Harrison|first1=Jody|title=Secrets of the Romans' forgotten war against Scotland revealed|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16115154.Secrets_of_the_Romans__forgotten_war_against_Scotland_revealed|access-date=22 May 2018|work=The Herald|date=26 March 2018}} The inner firth, located between the Kincardine and Forth bridges, has lost about half of its former intertidal area as a result of land reclamation, partly for agriculture, but mainly for industry and the large ash lagoons built to deposit spoil from the coal-fired Longannet Power Station near Kincardine. Historic villages line the Fife shoreline; Limekilns, Charlestown and Culross, established in the 6th century, where Saint Kentigern was born.

Construction of the Forth Bridge, a railway bridge, began in 1882 and it was opened on 4 March 1890 carrying the Edinburgh–Aberdeen line.{{cite web | title=The history of the Forth Bridge, Fife | website=Network Rail | date=2019-09-25 | url=https://www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/our-history/iconic-infrastructure/the-history-of-the-forth-bridge-fife/ | access-date=2025-02-16}}

The youngest person to swim across the Firth of Forth was 13-year-old Joseph Feeney, who accomplished the feat in 1933.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/emma-10-aims-to-break-84-year-old-forth-swimming-record-1-4560672|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920161555/https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/emma-10-aims-to-break-84-year-old-forth-swimming-record-1-4560672|archive-date=20 September 2019|title=Emma, 10, aims to break 84-year-old Forth swimming record|website=The Scotsman|language=en|access-date=20 September 2019}} In October 1936, the Kincardine Bridge opened.{{cite web | title=Kincardine On Forth Bridge | website=Canmore | date=1996-02-21 | url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/48119/kincardine-on-forth-bridge | access-date=2025-02-16}}

On 4 September 1964, the Forth Road Bridge opened.{{cite web | title=Forth Road Bridge History | website=The Forth Bridges | date=1964-09-04 | url=https://www.theforthbridges.org/about-the-forth-bridges/forth-road-bridge/forth-road-bridge-history/#:~:text=The%20final%20bill%20for%20construction,fourth%20longest%20in%20the%20world.# | access-date=2025-02-16}} From 1964 to 1982, a tunnel existed under the Firth of Forth, dug by coal miners to link the Kinneil colliery on the south side of the Forth with the Valleyfield colliery on the north side. This is shown in the 1968 educational film Forth – Powerhouse for Industry.{{cite web|last1=Cooper|first1=Henry (director)|title=Forth – Powerhouse for Industry|url=http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1820|website=Moving Image Archive|publisher=Campbell Harper Films Ltd.|access-date=15 May 2017}} The shafts leading into the tunnel were filled and capped with concrete when the tunnel was closed, and it is believed to have filled with water or collapsed in places.Fraser MacDonald, "Scotland's secret tunnel under the Forth", The Guardian, 30 April 2014.

In January 1987, the first Loony Dook event took place and which now takes place annually, during which individuals dive or wade into the Forth on New Years Day.{{cite web | title=Loony Dookers take the icy plunge | website=BBC NEWS | date=2009-01-01 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7806037.stm | access-date=2025-02-16}}{{cite web | title=Loony Dookers welcome the New Year with icy plunge | website=BBC News | date=2025-01-01 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgl9j4kr8xgo | access-date=2025-02-16}}

File:Theforthbridges fromdalmeny.jpg, Photo taken before construction began on the Queensferry Crossing.]]

On 27 February 2001, a Short 360 operated by the Scottish airline Loganair operating as Flight 670A ditched into the Firth of Forth after both of the plane's engines torque went to zero. After a mayday call was initiated the flight went into the water, all happening within the flight's phase of climbing to standard altitude. The only 2 occupants aboard - the captain and first officer, died in the accident. The crash was due to a lack of an established procedure for the flight crew to add engine air intake covers in adverse, windy, weather conditions. {{Cite web|title=Accident description for Short SD3-60 registration G-BNMT|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asn.db/32332|access-date=December 26, 2024|website=Aviation Safety Network}}

In July 2007, a hovercraft passenger service completed a two-week trial between Portobello, Edinburgh and Kirkcaldy, Fife. The trial of the service (marketed as "Forthfast") was hailed as a major operational success, with an average passenger load of 85 per cent.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm6PDDj-k_k| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/Lm6PDDj-k_k| archive-date=17 November 2021 | url-status=live|title=Kirkcaldy-Edinburgh hovercraft trial|date=13 July 2007|publisher=The Scottish Executive|access-date=10 January 2010}}{{cbignore}} It was estimated the service would decrease congestion for commuters on the Forth road and rail bridges by carrying about 870,000 passengers each year.{{cite news|url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Plans-lodged-for-Forth-hovercraft.5962637.jp|title=Plans lodged for Forth hovercraft|date=7 January 2010 |publisher=Edinburgh Evening News|access-date=10 January 2010}} Despite its initial success, the project was cancelled in December 2011.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-16113262|title=Council 'killed off' hovercraft|date=9 December 2011|access-date=20 September 2019|language=en-GB}}

In 2008, a controversial bid to allow oil transfer between ships in the firth was refused by Forth Ports. SPT Marine Services had asked permission to transfer 7.8 million tonnes of crude oil per year between tankers, but the proposals were met with determined opposition from conservation groups.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7221917.stm|title=Forth oil transfer plan ruled out|date=1 February 2008|access-date=1 February 2008|publisher=BBC News}} In November 2008, construction of the Clackmannanshire Bridge was completed and it opened to traffic.{{cite web | title=10 years of the Clackmannanshire Bridge | website=Transport Scotland | date=2008-11-19 | url=https://www.transport.gov.scot/transport-network/roads/bridges-and-structures/the-clackmannanshire-bridge/ | access-date=2025-02-16}}

In 2011, construction of the Queensferry Crossing began and the bridge was formally opened on 4 September 2017.{{cite web | last=Johnson | first=Simon | title=Queen opens new Forth crossing 53 years to the day after she opened old road bridge | website=The Telegraph | date=2017-09-04 | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/04/queen-opens-new-forth-crossing-53-years-day-opened-old-road/ | access-date=2025-02-16}}

File:The Firth of Forth and its bridges (geograph 5831088).jpg, the Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Bridge from the South Queensferry side]]

Ecology

The firth is important for nature conservation and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Firth of Forth Islands SPA (Special Protection Area) is home to more than 90,000 breeding seabirds every year. There is a bird observatory on the Isle of May.{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-soc.org.uk/bird-recording/local-recorders-network/areas/birding-advice/69-birding-the-isle-of-may-by-darren-hemsley|title=Birding the Isle of May by Darren Hemsley|website=Scottish Ornithologists' Club|language=en-gb|access-date=20 September 2019}} A series of sand and gravel banks in the approaches to the firth have since 2014 been designated as a Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area under the name Firth of Forth Banks Complex.{{cite web|url=http://archive.jncc.gov.uk/PDF/Firth_of_Forth_Banks_Complex_Site_Summary_Document_July14.pdf|title=Firth of Forth Banks Complex Marine Protected Area (MPA)|publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee|access-date=22 October 2019|archive-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022091505/http://archive.jncc.gov.uk/PDF/Firth_of_Forth_Banks_Complex_Site_Summary_Document_July14.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/10447|title=SiteLink: Firth of Forth Banks Complex MPA(NC)|publisher=Scottish Natural Heritage|access-date=22 October 2019}}

The Forth was historically home to a large native population of European Oysters.{{cite web | last=Murray | first=Jessica | title=Oysters doing well in Firth of Forth after reintroduction, say experts | website=the Guardian | date=2024-11-11 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/11/oysters-doing-well-in-firth-of-forth-after-reintroduction-say-experts | access-date=2025-02-16}} However, by the 1900s these had been fished to extinction in the Forth. A project to introduce some 30,000 oysters back in the forth has been successful at re-establishing the population in the 21st century.{{cite web | title=Oysters reintroduced to Firth of Forth appear to be 'thriving' | website=Sky News | date=2024-11-11 | url=https://news.sky.com/story/oysters-reintroduced-to-firth-of-forth-appear-to-be-thriving-13252594 | access-date=2025-02-16}}

Islands

Shoreline settlements

Lowest bridging point: Stirling

North shore

South shore

File:FirthofForthmap.png

Places of interest

References

External links

[http://www.isleofmaybirdobs.org Isle of May bird observatory]
[https://www.stagecoachbus.com/ Forthfast experimental hovercraft service, 16–28 July 2007]
{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070917171008/http://www.virtualplaces.co.uk/ Inchcolm Virtual Tour]}} a virtual tour around some of the Inchcolm's military defences

Forth

Category:Ramsar sites in Scotland

Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy

Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Edinburgh and West Lothian

Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Falkirk and Clackmannan

Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Mid and East Lothian

Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North East Fife

Forth