Imperial gazeteer of Scotland, or, Dictionary of Scottish topography > Volume 1

I
ii INTRODUCTIOISr.
COASTS.
From the liberties of Berwick, the coast extends, along Berwickshire and part of Hadding-
tonshire, north- west ward to near North Berwick; and there, over a commencing width of 11
miles, it yields to the long westward indentation of the frith of Forth. Over the greater
part of this distance it is bold and rocky, presenting a firm rampart against the attacks of the
sea, and offering few points where even fishing-boats may approach. On the north side of
the Forth, it makes an almost semicircular sweep round the most easterly land of Fifeshire
to St. Andrew's-bay ; it thence trends northward to the north-east extremity of Fife ; and it
there gives place to the indentation of the frith of Tay. Between the Forth and the Tay, and
over a considerable part of Forfarshire to the north, it is in general low and sandy, wearing
alternately the softest and the tamest aspects. From Buddonness, on the north side of the
entrance of the Tay, all the way along Forfarshire, Kincardineshire, and part of Aberdeen-
shire, to Buchanness, its direction is north-north-eastward, slightly variegated by sinuosities.
Over the next 18 miles, it trends northward and north-north-westward, to Kinnaird-head ;
and between that promontory and Duncansby-head in the extreme north-east, it recedes to
the vast extent of between 70 and 80 miles, admitting a triangular gulf or enormous bay,
called the Moray frith. On the south side of this gulf, it stretches almost direct to the west,
and on the other side it extends to the north-east; but at the inner extremity of the gulf, it
is confusedly and entirely broken by the friths of Beauly, Cromarty, and Dornoch. From
Duncansby-head it undulates 14 miles in a prevailing direction of north-west by west to
Dunnet-head in the extreme north ; it thence stretches 4 miles south-westward to the indenta-
tion of Thurso-bay ; and from this bay to Cape-Wrath, in the extreme north-west, and in
nearly the same longitude as the entrance of the bay, it describes, over a distance of about
50 miles, a small segment of a circle, the curvature being inland, but, besides having a rugged
outline, is broken in three places by the inroads of respectively Loch-Tongue, Loch-Eribole,
and Durness-bay. Over nearly all the north it is bold and dangerous, abutted with rocky
headlands, crowned with frowning cliffs, torn into fissures, and assailed by very generally a
tumbling and chafed sea.
From Cape-Wrath to the Mull of Kintyre, a distance of about 30 miles more than from the
meridian of the liberties of Berwick to that of Duncansby-head, and comprising the whole
west boundary of the mainland, the coast, as to its general direction, diverges very little from
the straight line southward, or from a line a point or two westward of south; but over nearly
its whole extent, it is so torn and shattered by inroads of the sea, yields to so many large
and variform indentations, and, amidst its curious and ever-recurring recesses, leaps so mazily
over the inner line of the Hebridean islets and islands, that it defies description and bewilders
an uninitiated tourist. Its aspect is throughout wild and highland, alternately picturesque,
grand, sublime, and savage. Toward the Mull of Kintyre the coast becomes narrowed with
the continent, or rather with the long peninsula which projects from it, running down to the
Mull into a point or headland ; and there, over a commencing width of 35 or 40 miles,
measured south-eastward to Ayrshire at Ballantrae, it recedes in the large, many-bayed, and
curious gulf which forms the frith of Clyde. From Ballantrae to the Mull of Galloway, a
distance of 37 miles, it describes the segment of an ellipsis, the curvature being toward the
sea, but is broken a few miles south of Ballantrae by the entrance of Loch-Ryan. Over this
distance it is rocky, beetling, and inhospitable, but not high, and is curiously perforated with
large and numerous caverns. From the Mull of Galloway to a point 31 miles north-east by
east, it yields successively to the large ingress of Luce-bay, the considerable one of Wigton-
bay, and the smaller one of the estuary of the Dee, and comes down only in the headlands
by which these friths are separated. After passing the estuary of the Dee, it begins to be
confronted with the coast of England ; and thence onward, it is identified with the shore of
the Solway frith.
HEADLANDS.
In enumerating the principal capes, promontories, and other headlands, we shall follow the
ooast-line in the order in which we have just traced it. St. Abb's-head is in the middle of
the coast-line of Berwickshire, and forms the most projecting, bold, and conspicuous piece of
sea-board between the liberties of Berwick and the frith of Forth. Fast Castle-head is 3i