DISCLAIMER: First report after a long time spent lurking and reading, if I make an arse of it, my apologies!
History
Cramond Island is a tidal island in the Firth of Forth, connected to it's namesake village just outside of Edinburgh by a mile-long concrete causeway lined with WW2-era anti-ship pylons. It's one of a number of islands in the area that is home to various defences and structures constructed during WW2, alongside Inchkeith, Inchgarvie and Inchmickery.
The mainland village of Cramond was the site of a Roman fortress, occupied at various points between 140AD and 214AD, and it's likely that the island was also inhabited at this time.
The island was also used for sheep farming, with the last recorded farmer, a Mr Peter Hogg, dying in 1904. (Some reports claim sheep were kept on the island until the 1960s however)
During WW2, Cramond and the other aforementioned islands were fortified in order to defend the Firth of Forth from torpedos & submarines, and to defend the Rosyth Dockyard. A number of bunkers and gun emplacements were constructed across the island, with these being labelled on a map I have attached to the report.
According to Wikipedia, "Cramond Island, along with other islands in the Forth, was refortified and armed with two 12-pdr guns, and a modern 6-pdr twin gun, designed specifically to tackle fast-moving torpedo boats. An anti-submarine net and anti-boat boom was laid across the estuary from Cramond Island directly to Inchcolm, and then to the Charles Hill battery on the Fife coast"
The Explore
I spent just shy of 2 hours strolling around the island, with it's tidal nature making it far more accessible than the other islands I've mentioned. It was a warm evening and the island was fairly busy with dog walkers, joggers, and people generally wandering over for a nosey.
A number of ruined buildings are still intact on the island, consisting of housings for Coast Artillery Search Lights, stores, shelters and gun emplacements, as well as two engine rooms that once contained all the equipment necessary to supply power to the military installations on the island. The ruins of another unknown building in the centre of the island is also present, which is believed to be a small farmhouse. The buildings are empty shells for the most part, containing little more than some rubbish graffiti and mountains of cheap lager cans.
Whilst not having a whole lot to see, the island is still interesting enough to be worth a wander around if you're in the area, but I would recommend checking tide times beforehand and giving yourself a comfortable window to get back to the mainland. A table containing approximate tide timings for every day in 2023 can be found on the Queensferry Lifeboat Station section of the RNLI website.
Crumbling Remains of the anti-ship pylons that line the causeway.
The first gun emplacement visible as you approach the island.
A smaller lookout post beside the above emplacement.
Crumbling farmhouse ruins in the centre of the island.
Views across to the Forth bridges.
Storage building exterior shot.
View of the anchor point for the anti-submarine net.
Half a door (The other half was lying in the bushes a few metres away)
A cluster of smaller buildings, most likely some sort of storage.
Views along the causeway towards the village.
Any (constructive) feedback or conversation appreciated!
History
Cramond Island is a tidal island in the Firth of Forth, connected to it's namesake village just outside of Edinburgh by a mile-long concrete causeway lined with WW2-era anti-ship pylons. It's one of a number of islands in the area that is home to various defences and structures constructed during WW2, alongside Inchkeith, Inchgarvie and Inchmickery.
The mainland village of Cramond was the site of a Roman fortress, occupied at various points between 140AD and 214AD, and it's likely that the island was also inhabited at this time.
The island was also used for sheep farming, with the last recorded farmer, a Mr Peter Hogg, dying in 1904. (Some reports claim sheep were kept on the island until the 1960s however)
During WW2, Cramond and the other aforementioned islands were fortified in order to defend the Firth of Forth from torpedos & submarines, and to defend the Rosyth Dockyard. A number of bunkers and gun emplacements were constructed across the island, with these being labelled on a map I have attached to the report.
According to Wikipedia, "Cramond Island, along with other islands in the Forth, was refortified and armed with two 12-pdr guns, and a modern 6-pdr twin gun, designed specifically to tackle fast-moving torpedo boats. An anti-submarine net and anti-boat boom was laid across the estuary from Cramond Island directly to Inchcolm, and then to the Charles Hill battery on the Fife coast"
The Explore
I spent just shy of 2 hours strolling around the island, with it's tidal nature making it far more accessible than the other islands I've mentioned. It was a warm evening and the island was fairly busy with dog walkers, joggers, and people generally wandering over for a nosey.
A number of ruined buildings are still intact on the island, consisting of housings for Coast Artillery Search Lights, stores, shelters and gun emplacements, as well as two engine rooms that once contained all the equipment necessary to supply power to the military installations on the island. The ruins of another unknown building in the centre of the island is also present, which is believed to be a small farmhouse. The buildings are empty shells for the most part, containing little more than some rubbish graffiti and mountains of cheap lager cans.
Whilst not having a whole lot to see, the island is still interesting enough to be worth a wander around if you're in the area, but I would recommend checking tide times beforehand and giving yourself a comfortable window to get back to the mainland. A table containing approximate tide timings for every day in 2023 can be found on the Queensferry Lifeboat Station section of the RNLI website.
Crumbling Remains of the anti-ship pylons that line the causeway.
The first gun emplacement visible as you approach the island.
A smaller lookout post beside the above emplacement.
Crumbling farmhouse ruins in the centre of the island.
Views across to the Forth bridges.
Storage building exterior shot.
View of the anchor point for the anti-submarine net.
Half a door (The other half was lying in the bushes a few metres away)
A cluster of smaller buildings, most likely some sort of storage.
Views along the causeway towards the village.
Any (constructive) feedback or conversation appreciated!
