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A small rocky fortified island with a powerful lighthouse standing three miles out to sea off the Fife coast where it was held by the French between 1549 and 1567.
Inchkeith (from the Scottish Gaelic: Innis Cheith) is an island in the Firth of Forth. Inchkeith has had a colourful history as a result of its proximity to Edinburgh and strategic location for use as home for a lighthouse and for military purposes defending the Firth of Forth from attack from shipping, and more recently protecting the upstream Forth Bridge and Rosyth Dockyard. Inchkeith has, by some accounts, been inhabited (intermittently) for almost 1,800 years.
Although most of the island is of volcanic origin, the island’s geology is surprisingly varied. As well as the igneous rock, there are also some sections of sandstone, shale, coal and limestone. The shale contains a great number of fossils. There are several springs on the island
The name "Inchkeith" may derive from the medieval Scottish Gaelic Innse Coit, meaning "wooded island
- Type:
- Landmark