Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Geography  





2 Nature  





3 History  





4 Commerce and industry  





5 Further reading  





6 References  





7 External links  














Cromarty Firth






Cebuano
Deutsch
Français
Gaeilge
Gàidhlig
Norsk bokmål
Norsk nynorsk
Polski
Русский
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Svenska
 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 




In other projects  



Wikimedia Commons
 
















Appearance
   

 





Coordinates: 57°41N 4°07W / 57.683°N 4.117°W / 57.683; -4.117
 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Cromarty Firth
Cromarty Firth is located in Scotland
Cromarty Firth

Cromarty Firth

Location in Scotland

LocationScotland, United Kingdom
Coordinates57°41′N 4°07′W / 57.683°N 4.117°W / 57.683; -4.117

Ramsar Wetland

Designated22 July 1999
Reference no.1001[1]

The Cromarty Firth (/ˈkrɒmərti/ ; Scottish Gaelic: Caolas Chrombaidh [ˈkʰɯːlˠ̪əs̪ ˈxɾɔumbaj]; literally "kyles [straits] of Cromarty") is an arm of the Moray FirthinScotland.

Looking from Invergordon toward oil drilling rigs in the Cromarty Firth.

Geography

[edit]
Entrance to the Cromarty Firth, with oil rigs behind

The entrance to the Cromarty Firth is guarded by two precipitous headlands; the one on the north 151 metres (495 ft) high and the one on the south 141 metres (463 ft) high — called "The Sutors" from a fancied resemblance to a couple of shoemakers (inScots, souters) bent over their lasts. From the Sutors the Firth extends inland in a westerly and then south-westerly direction for a distance of 19 miles (30.6 km). Excepting between Nigg Bay and Cromarty Bay where it is about 5 miles (8 km) wide, and Alness Bay where it is 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, it has an average width of 1 mile (1.6 km).[2] The southern shore of the Firth is formed by a peninsula known as the Black Isle. Good views of the Cromarty Firth are to be had from the Sutors or Cnoc Fyrish.

At its head the Firth receives its principal river, the River Conon, other rivers include the Allt Graad, Peffery, Sgitheach, Averon and Balnagown. The Dingwall Canal remains connected to the Firth, although it is now disused. The principal settlements on its shores are Dingwall near the head, Cromarty near the mouth (from which the Firth takes its name), and Invergordon on the north shore. The villages of Evanton, Alness and Culbokie are nearby. There is one bridge, the A9 road crossing between Ardullie and Findon. In the past there were several ferries across the firth (for example at Foulis) but now there is only one, a four-car ferry that runs between Cromarty and Nigg during the summer.

Nature

[edit]
Adult dolphin leaping in the firth

The firth is designated as a Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes. Many bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises, grey seals and harbour seals live here, while minke whales seasonally migrate. Larger animals such as humpback whales, northern bottlenose whales, long-finned pilot whales, common dolphins, large fish such as the sunfish and basking sharks are seasonal or occasional visitors to the firth.[3]

History

[edit]

The Firth forms one of the safest and most commodious anchorages in the north of Scotland[2] and Invergordon was at one time a major base for the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. The Firth was the scene of the Invergordon Mutiny in 1931. Remnants of the Navy remain, such as the disused airfield near Evanton (now an industrial estate) which was built to take aircraft from the fleet carriers while they were at anchor. During World War II, there was a large training and operational base for Catalina amphibious aircraft and Sunderland seaplanes, which extended from Invergordon to Alness point - also now an industrial estate. A memorial to the men who were killed on operational missions was placed at this industrial estate in 2001. A propeller from a Catalina was found and restored by RAF apprentices and now resides in the town of Alness. The tennis courts on the industrial estate are the only remaining parts of the estate which date from World War II.

Commerce and industry

[edit]
Cromarty Bridge taking A9 across the Firth east of Dingwall

At Nigg there is an important North Sea oil and renewable energy centre owned by Global Energy Group since 2011. The yard with a dry dock for repairing and fabricating oil platforms, was opened in 1972 as a joint venture between Brown & Root and construction company George Wimpey. The yard is presently known as Nigg Energy Park.

Elsewhere along the firth are facilities for cruise ships, oil processing, and bulk cargo handling.

Cromarty Firth Port Authority is the body responsible for regulating and managing the commercial and industrial resources of the firth.[4]

Further reading

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Cromarty Firth". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  • ^ a b Chisholm 1911.
  • ^ "Dolphin and Wildlife boat trips, Moray Firth, Inverness". www.ecoventures.co.uk.
  • ^ "Looking back at over 200 years of history in the Cromarty Firth". Port of Cromarty Firth. Cromarty Firth Port Authority. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  • [edit]
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cromarty_Firth&oldid=1183664273"

    Categories: 
    Firths of Scotland
    Ports and harbours of Scotland
    Special Protection Areas in Scotland
    Ramsar sites in Scotland
    Sites of Special Scientific Interest in East Ross and Cromarty
    Landforms of Moray
    Hidden categories: 
    Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
    Pages using the Phonos extension
    Articles with short description
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    Articles needing additional references from November 2023
    All articles needing additional references
    Use dmy dates from March 2018
    Use British English from March 2018
    Coordinates on Wikidata
    Articles using infobox body of water without image
    Articles using infobox body of water without pushpin map alt
    Articles using infobox body of water without image bathymetry
    Pages including recorded pronunciations
    Articles containing Scottish Gaelic-language text
    Pages with Scottish Gaelic IPA
    Articles lacking in-text citations from November 2011
    All articles lacking in-text citations
    Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference
    Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
    Commons category link from Wikidata
    Articles with VIAF identifiers
    Articles with J9U identifiers
    Articles with LCCN identifiers
     



    This page was last edited on 5 November 2023, at 19:32 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki