Cramond Island

Cramond Island lies off the shore at Cramond, a short distance from Edinburgh in the Firth of Forth. It is a tidal island, connected to the mainland by a paved causeway exposed only at low tide. The causeway runs beside a row of concrete pylons built during the Second World War as part of an anti-boat barrier. At high tide the path disappears under several feet of water, cutting off the island until the water falls again. The island covers just under eight hectares and measures half a kilometre in length. It is one of forty-three tidal islands in Great Britain that can be reached on foot from the mainland. The island’s history includes traces of prehistoric burial and early Christian graves found during the Second World War. It may once have been the site of Urbs Iudeu, a mediaeval stronghold mentioned by the Venerable Bede. In 655 AD King Osweo of Northumbria was besieged here by Penda of Mercia and Cadafael of Gwynedd. The island was later used for farming, grazing sheep until the early 20th century and once supporting oyster beds. During the First World War it formed part of a defensive line across the Forth, mounting guns to protect warships anchored nearby. Visitors walk the causeway only when the tide is low enough to expose the path. Alongside the route stand concrete pylons from the wartime barrier, one of the island’s most striking features. On the island itself are the remains of a 75 mm gun emplacement, searchlight housings and engine rooms built for the garrison. Low concrete stumps mark where barracks once stood, and a small brick building of unknown purpose stands near the western shore. The centre holds the ruins of a stone farmstead occupied until the 1930s, half-hidden by a small wood. The northern end shows anchor points for the old anti-submarine net, visible when the tide is out.