Firth of Clyde
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The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre Peninsula. The Firth lies between West Dunbartonshire in the north, Argyll and Bute in the west and Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire in the east. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran. The Kyles of Bute separates the Isle of Bute from the Cowal Peninsula. The Sound of Bute separates the islands of Bute and Arran.
The Highland Boundary Fault crosses the Firth. The Firth also played a vital military role during World War II.
The Firth is sometimes called the Clyde Waters or Clyde Sea, and is customarily considered to be part of the Irish Sea.<ref name="auto1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>C.Michael Hogan. 2011. Irish Sea. eds. P.Saundry & C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC Template:Webarchive</ref>
Geography
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At the north of the Firth, Loch Long and the Gare Loch join the Firth; these lochs are separated by the Rosneath Peninsula. Off Greenock, an anchorage, known as the Tail of the Bank narrows the estuary of the River Clyde to Template:Convert wide. (The "Bank" is a reference to a sandbank and shoal) The River Clyde estuary has an upper tidal limit located at the tidal weir next to Glasgow Green.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The geographical (and popular) distinction between the Firth and the River Clyde is vague. Some refer to Dumbarton as being "on the Firth of Clyde"; while at the same time, the residents of Port Glasgow and Greenock often refer to the part of the Firth that lies to the north of those areas as "the river".
The Firth encompasses many islands and peninsulas. Twelve ferry routes connect them to each other and the mainland. The majority of the ferry services are run by Caledonian MacBrayne and one by Western Ferries, and many of the routes are lifeline services for communities living in remote areas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Firth has no fixed link transport infrastructure connections (bridge or tunnel), linking the shores or islands. The lowest fixed crossing over the Clyde is the Erskine Bridge, opened on 2 July 1971.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Irish Sea and the Firth of Clyde's southerly boundary, as defined by the Scottish Government, is between the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula and Corsewall Point on the Rhins of Galloway.<ref name="auto1"/>
The Firth joins the strait between Scotland and Northern Ireland, called the North Channel, at the north of the Irish Sea. The deepest part of the channel is the Beaufort's Dyke, at Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Highland Boundary Fault
[edit]The Highland Boundary Fault enters the Firth off the east coast of Kintyre Peninsula in the south. The fault crosses the south eastern tip of the Cowal Peninsula at Toward Point, where it can be seen on the surface by the presence of Old Red Sandstone.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The fault continues to Helensburgh in the north, then continues past the east coast of Scotland. The fault can be followed across Scotland for at least Template:Convert, the fault is of great age and its remains are broken by more recent geological movement of the earths crust.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Sea Lochs
[edit]Fourteen sea lochs join the Firth, the largest being Loch Fyne.
Peninsulas
[edit]The Cowal Peninsula extends into the Firth of Clyde and forms the main western shoreline of the upper Firth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The main town on the Cowal Peninsula is Dunoon. Ardlamont Point on the Ardlamont Peninsula, that extends off of the Cowal Peninsula, is the southern tip of the Ardlamont and Cowal Peninsulas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The ferries across the Firth save time compared to traveling "round by road", via Loch Eck side (A815 road), the Rest and Be Thankful (A83 road) and Loch Lomond side (A82 road).The service between Dunoon and Gourock in Inverclyde is operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, the Public Service provider.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This service carries only foot passengers and connects directly with the ScotRail service to Glasgow.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Western Ferries, is a Private Limited Company,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> it operates the service between Hunters Quay and McInroy's Point near to Gourock. This service carries all types of vehicular transport, as well as foot passengers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Kintyre peninsula forms the main west coastline of the lower Firth.
The Rosneath peninsula is formed by the Gare Loch in the east, and Loch Long in the west, both merge with the upper Firth of Clyde. There is a Caledonian MacBrayne passenger only service across the Firth to Gourock from Kilcreggan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Firth Islands
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There are many islands in the Firth. The largest three all have thriving communities and regular ferry services connecting them to the mainland. They are:
Ailsa Craig is a small island, formed by the remains of a volcanic plug in the Firth. Ailsa Craig Common Green Granite and Ailsa Craig Blue Hone Granite are quarried there for the production of Curling Stones, manufactured by Kays of Scotland.<ref>https://www.britannica.com/place/Ailsa-Craig-island-Scotland</ref><ref>https://www.kaysscotland.com/</ref>
Holy Isle a small island lying in Lamlash Bay, Isle of Arran. At the north of the Holy Isle there is a religious resort.<ref>https://www.holyisle.org/</ref>
Firth Lighthouses
[edit]The Northern Lighthouse Board is responsible for some of the navigation aids around Scotlands coast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With others being the responsibility of the local Competent Harbour Authority.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There are lighthouses at:
There are navigation beacons at:
- The Gantocks Rocks and Navigation Beacon, off the coast at Dunoon, Cowal Peninsula.<ref>Template:Canmore</ref>
- Horse Isle Beacon, Horse Isle, Ardrossan Built 1811.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Firth shoreline settlements
[edit]Nature and conservation
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The Field Studies Council has a marine research station, based in Millport, on the island of Great Cumbrae.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Common seals and grey seals abound in the Firth. Harbour porpoises are also common. While dolphins are much less common, some were spotted in the upper reaches of the Firth in the summer of 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Very uncommon are humpback whales, as are the minke whales.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Even rarer are orcas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Also, in 2005, the Firth had the second-highest number of basking shark sightings in Scotland (after the Minch). These huge sharks seem to particularly favour the warm, shallow waters surrounding Pladda, south of Arran.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
However, although commercial fishing was at one time intensive in the Firth's many fishing towns, today the only catches of commercial interest remaining in the Clyde waters are prawns, lobsters, herring, mussels, and crayfish.
Conservation
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On 5 September 2000, the Inner Clyde Estuary received a RAMSAR designation. Site number: 1036. The area covered is Template:Convert. (Coordinates: 55°56'32"N 04°36'32"W)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="auto2"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In September 2008, Scotland's first No Take Zone (NTZ) was introduced in Lamlash Bay, on the Isle of Arran. The result of a community effort, led by the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (C.O.A.S.T). The NTZ was introduced to protect delicate marine communities, such as Maerl. Maerl is a slow-growing coral-like calcareous red algae (it grows only 1 mm per year) and is an important Scottish species. Maerl beds are locations of high biodiversity and are crucial nursery grounds for both young scallops and young fish. Studies show that both scallop dredging and organic waste from fish farms, significantly impact Maerl. Scallop dredging on a Maerl bed has been found to kill over 70% of the Maerl. Monitoring the dredged bed over the next four years found no discernible recovery, suggesting that Maerl beds would require many years free of disturbance in order to recover.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="europarc.org"/>
In 2014, Template:Convert at the south of the Firth between Kintyre Peninsula and the Rhins of Galloway, on the North Channel boundary. Designated a Marine Protected Area, the (Clyde Sill MPA), the NatureScot Site Code is 10414, the EU Site Code is 555560461.<ref name=snh>Template:Cite web</ref> The MPA covers a distinctive sill where fresher water of the Firth mixes with the cooler, more saline water of the North Channel. This is a rich environment for plankton, which provide food for fish, that are in turn eaten by higher marine predators and seabirds.<ref name=leaflet>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 16 December 2015, an area to the south of Arran received a Marine Protected Area designation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Water quality
[edit]The water quality of the Firth is monitored by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). SEPA have had a monitoring buoy located off the coast of Dunoon since 2009, with data collected every 15 minutes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Shipping
[edit]The Firth of Clyde has some of the deepest sea channels in Northern Europe. It can accommodate the largest Capesize vessels afloat today. As a result, the Clyde has one of the UK's leading ports, at Clydeport, part of The Peel Group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The facility handles cargo from container ships at the Greenock Ocean Terminal.
Supertankers visit the Firth to deliver crude oil to Finnart Oil Terminal in Loch Long, which is connected by pipeline to the Grangemouth Refinery on the Firth of Forth. Both owned by Petroineos, a joint venture between Ineos and Petrochina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A second pipeline brings back refined oil products to the Finart Oil Terminal for export (in smaller oil tankers) mainly to Northern Ireland.<ref name="www.helensburgh-heritage.co.uk">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Finnart Oil Terminal is due to cease operation by June 2025.<ref>https://thelochsidepress.com/2024/09/13/finnart-oil-terminal-closure-announced//</ref>
Shipyards
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On the upper Clyde, at Govan and Scotstoun both in Glasgow, two major shipyards are still in operation. They are owned by BAE Systems,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> whose major client is the Royal Navy.
On the lower Clyde, only one shipyard still operates, Ferguson Marine, which is located next to Newark Castle, Port Glasgow. The Scottish Government now own the yard.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref>
The Garvel Dry Dock in Greenock continues in operation for ship repair. The large Inchgreen Dry Dock in Greenock is in occasional use.
The remains of former sites of shipyards on the Clyde are being redeveloped into areas that contain residential housing, leisure facilities, and commercial buildings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On the Firth itself, Ardmaleish Boatbuilding are based at Ardmaleish, near to Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cruise terminal
[edit]The Greenock Cruise Terminal, operated by Clydeport part of The Peel Group. A new twin berth terminal was opened on 25 August 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In March 2025 the Greenock Cruise Terminal was leased to Global Ports Holding Ltd with a fifty year contract.<ref>https://www.inverclydenow.com/greenock-cruise-port-to-be-run-by-worlds-biggest-operator-in-50-year-deal/</ref><ref>https://news.stv.tv/west-central/worlds-largest-cruise-port-operator-signs-half-a-century-deal-at-greenock-ocean-terminal</ref>
Visiting liners
[edit]Historic liner visits
[edit]- Queen Elizabeth 2<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Shipwrecks
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Shipwreck diving is a popular activity on the Firth, with many wreck sites to explore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Military wrecks have protection under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Salvaged wrecks
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- Comet II, launched in 1821, collision and sank 21 October 1825, salvaged 21 July 1826.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- HMS K13, submarine, sank 29 January 1917, salvaged 15 March 1917.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Varyag, grounded and sank 5 February 1920, salvaged (scrapped where beached 1924 - 1926).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Maillé Brézé, 30 April 1931, Lost by accidental explosion. Salvaged summer of 1954.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- HMS Untamed, submarine, sank 30 May 1943, salvaged 5 July 1943.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Armed Forces
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The Royal Navy has a significant presence on the Firth of Clyde. HMNB Clyde is known as Faslane within the navy and is located on Loch Long. HMNB Clyde's role is with the servicing and maintenance of the UK submarine defence fleet. The base has other locations around the Firth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Babcock International<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> are involved in the engineering and operations at the base.
On Loch Long, at Glen Mallan, the Northern Ammunition Jetty was refurbished, to accommodate the navy’s new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, with work completed in January 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The jetty is part of the DM Glen Douglas military munitions depot. Plans have been announced in February 2024 to demolish an undisclosed part of the site.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
[edit]The Firth of Clyde has always been an important sea route from the earliest times. For example, the Battle of Largs, which was fought on the Firth, in 1263, was a geopolitical turning point: it marked the end of Norse ambitions in Britain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beginning in the 16th century, the Firth increasingly became a conduit for commercial and industrial products, including: herring; timber; wine; sugar; tobacco; textiles; iron and steel; coal; oil; industrial chemicals; distillation and brewing; ships, locomotives, and other vehicles; and other manufactured products.
In the middle of the 19th century, the sport of yachting became popular on the Firth. The area became famous worldwide for its significant contribution to yachting and yachtbuilding with notable designers including: William Fife III; Alfred Mylne; G L Watson; David Boyd. It was also the location of many famous yacht yards. Clyde-built wooden yachts are still known for quality and style today.
The "lower Clyde" shipyards of Greenock and Port Glasgow, most notably Scott Lithgow, played an important historical role in shipbuilding. The Template:Ship was the first successful steamboat in Europe. Well into the 20th century, a large proportion of the world's ship construction took place around the upper Firth and River Clyde.
Tourism
[edit]With the advent of tourism in Victorian times, the Firth became popular with Glaswegians and residents of neighbouring towns and counties who travelled "doon the watter" (the Firth) on Clyde steamers to holiday in the picturesque seaside towns and villages that line the Firth, with the more wealthy building substantial holiday homes along its coasts. Many towns, such as Gourock, Largs, Ayr, Dunoon, Rothesay, flourished during this period and became fully fledged resorts with well-appointed hotels and attractions. Golf courses, including major championship courses, proliferated.
Today, tourism, sport and recreation, and heritage history continue to attract visitors from across the world. The steam-powered Template:Ship—in addition to its regular service—still makes cruising trips to the coastal towns that have been popular tourist destinations since the 19th century. The Firth is ringed by many castles and buildings of historical importance that are open to the public, including Inveraray Castle, Brodick Castle, the opulent Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute, and Culzean Castle, which is the most visited attraction owned by the National Trust for Scotland. Ocean liners frequently call at Greenock, and Glasgow International Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport are nearby. There is frequent rail service to and from the Clyde coast, including links to Oban and Fort William, with city terminals in Glasgow and Edinburgh. There is also daily ferry service between the area and Belfast.
Sport and recreation
[edit]1908 Summer Olympic Games
[edit]The Firth hosted the 1908 summer olympics, with the Template:Convert sailing yacht races.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Shipyards
[edit]The Firth of Clyde, like the River Clyde, has historically been an important centre of shipbuilding and shipping. Upriver, there have been shipbuilding and engineering centres at Glasgow, Govan, Clydebank, Dumbarton, and Renfrew. Downriver, there have been major yards at Greenock and Port Glasgow; smaller yards at Irvine, Ardrossan, Troon, and Campbeltown; and various other boatyards, including those at Hunters Quay, Port Bannatyne, and Fairlie. Today, the Ferguson Marine shipbuilding yard, adjacent to Newark Castle, Port Glasgow, is the last merchant shipbuilder on the Clyde, and it is owned by the Scottish Government.<ref name="auto"/> In Greenock, the large dry dock and ship-repair facilities at Inchgreen opened in 1964, and were subsequently taken over by Scott Lithgow. The dry dock there is Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide. With the demise of Scott Lithgow and Cammell Laird, their facilities came under the management of Clydeport.
Ports
[edit]The Hunterston Ore Terminal was constructed to facilitate the transport of bulk ore, but later mainly dealt with coal imports, and closed in 2016.<ref name="masterplan">Template:Cite web</ref>
The ExxonMobil (ESSO) Fuel Oil Terminal site at Bowling.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There was a jetty built as part of Inverkip Power Station, for oil deliveries by oil tanker.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Armed Forces
[edit]HMS Gannet, the Fleet Air Arm Search and Rescue site at Prestwick Airport. The helicopters (Sea King) that were based here were used in the rescue and airlift operations across the United Kingdom. The base was closed on 1 January 2016, with Maritime and Coastguard Agency taking over the role.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Submarine Squadron 14
[edit]Cold War; The United States of America maintained a US Navy base during the Cold War, in the Holy Loch, off the Firth. Submarine Squadron 14 or SUBRON14, also known as Site one, Holy Loch was in operation between 1 July 1958, up until the end of the Cold War. The last deployed Submarine Tender departed the Holy Loch and Firth on 3 March 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
World War II; During World War II, Glasgow and the Firth of Clyde became the main entry point into Britain for the Allied forces’, including merchant shipping, military personnel, and equipment. The Firth was used as the assembly and despatch point, for Atlantic convoys. The Firth hosted the United Kingdoms largest naval base for the duration of the war. In 1942, a underwater oil pipeline was laid across the Firth, Operation Pluto, the world's first deep-water test of this technology. This was only one of many innovations designed to support air, maritime, and territorial combat during World War II.
The Holy Loch was used as a base for Royal Navy Submarines, during World War II. Namely the 3rd Submarine Flotilla (United Kingdom). HMS Forth was for a time based in the loch as the submarine depot ship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During both World wars, the Cloch Point To Dunoon Anti-submarine Boom was in place to protect the upper Firth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Environment
[edit]Since the Industrial Revolution, the natural environment of the Firth has been compromised. Many locations have been affected by a succession of industrial and military developments along the shoreline. Including the former sites of shipyards; Hunterston B nuclear power station; Inverkip power station; ExxonMobil fuel oil terminal site at Bowling; Nobel explosives plant at Ardeer and the Hunterston Ore Terminal. Many of these locations are now dormant or being redeveloped.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Climate
[edit]The Firth's maritime climate is considerably milder than contintental locations at the same latitide. Whilst the reason for this mild climate is the subject of debate<ref name=ClimateMythology>Template:Cite web</ref> it is historically considered to be due to the moderating influence of the North Atlantic Drift, a warm oceanic current that is the eastern extension of the Gulf Stream<ref name=GulfStream>Template:Cite web</ref> which originates in the tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Concerns
[edit]Worldwide, human-made causes including the over-exploitation and the pollution of water systems, are among the biggest threats and concerns which are damaging aquatic ecosystems and in extreme cases cause ecological death.
The durability of plastic's in the natural environment, plastic pollution, imposes threats on aquatic life and the aquatic ecosystems. Plastic debris may result in entanglement and ingestion by aquatic life such as birds, fish and marine mammals, causing severe injury or death. Human livelihoods and life itself can also be impacted by plastic pollution. In severe cases, with effects on surrounding tourism or real estate value, the clogging of drains and other hydraulic infrastructure leading to increased flood risk and further pollution.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8256l20l0o</ref>
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Sources
[edit]- The Clyde: River and Firth, 1907 and reissued 2010, Neil Munro, with illustrations by Mary Y and Y Young Hunter
- The Firth of Clyde, 1952, George Blake
- Glasgow and the Clyde, 1965, Ward Lock Guide
- Clyde Coast Connections, 2010, Neil Grieves
- From Comet to Cal Mac : Two Centuries of Hebridean and Clyde Shipping, 2011, Donald E Meek and Bruce Peter
- Firth of Clyde: Sailing Directions and Anchorages, 2012, Clyde Cruising Club
- HM Naval Base: Clyde, 2012, Keith Hall
External links
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- Clydeport - Official Website
- Royal Navy HMNB Clyde - Official Website
- Scottish Government, Marine Environment - Official Website
- Northern Lighthouse Board - Official Website
- Scottish Government, War Graves - Official Website
- RAMSAR Organisation - Official Website
Template:Navboxes Template:Portal bar Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- Firth of Clyde
- Scottish coast
- Estuaries of Scotland
- Cowal
- Firths of Scotland
- Islands of the Clyde
- Underwater diving sites in Scotland
- Landforms of West Dunbartonshire
- Landforms of Argyll and Bute
- Landforms of Inverclyde
- Landforms of North Ayrshire
- Landforms of South Ayrshire
- Highland Boundary Fault
- Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas of Scotland
- Geography of Scotland
- Bodies of water of Scotland
- Bodies of water of the Irish Sea
- Ramsar sites in Scotland