Craigleith

Craigleith is a small island in the Firth of Forth off North Berwick in East Lothian. It stands only 45 metres high at its peak and is the closest of four islands to North Berwick harbour. Like its neighbours Bass Rock, Fidra and the Lamb, it serves as a bird colony. Divers often explore the waters around Craigleith, which is a volcanic laccolith made of essexite rock. The island’s name comes from the Gaelic Creag Lìte, meaning ‘rock of Leith’. Craigleith has a varied history. In the 19th century Sir Hew Dalrymple bought the island from North Berwick Town Council. It once held a large rabbit warren, but myxomatosis wiped out the population in the 1950s. Rabbits mysteriously returned in 2008. The island was also once home to one of Britain’s biggest puffin colonies, with 28,000 pairs, but tree mallow choked their burrows from 1999 onwards. Visitors can see the effects of the SOS Puffin project, which removes invasive plants each winter. The Scottish Seabird Centre runs boat trips around the island and uses solar-powered cameras to stream live images of the wildlife. Cormorants, shags and guillemots nest here alongside the returning puffins. The island was sold to RSPB Scotland in 2026.