Firth of Clyde
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Map of the Firth of Clyde and area |
The
Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the
Atlantic ocean by the
Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer
firth in
Argyll and
Ayrshire,
Scotland. At its entrance the firth is some 26 miles (42 km) wide. Its upper reaches include an area where it is joined by
Loch Long and the
Gare Loch. This includes the large
anchorage off
Greenock known as the
Tail of the Bank in reference to the
sandbar which separates the firth from the
estuary of the
River Clyde. The Clyde is still almost 2 miles (3 km) wide at the sandbar, and its upper tidal limit is in
Glasgow city centre.
The distinction beween the firth and the River Clyde is vague, and people will sometimes refer to
Dumbarton as being on the
Firth of Clyde, while the population of
Port Glasgow and
Greenock frequently refer to the firth to their north as "the river".
The firth encompasses many
islands and
peninsulas and has twelve ferry routes connecting them to the mainland and each other. The majority of these services are run by
Caledonian MacBrayne and many of the routes are lifeline services for communities living in remote areas. A number of
sea lochs adjoin the firth.
Towns and villages along the shoreline
This lists the major towns and some of the numerous villages along the firth (not the
River Clyde or connecting lochs).
*
Ardrossan,
Ayr*
Barassie,
Brodick*
Campbeltown,
Cardross,
Carradale*
Dumbarton,
Dunoon*
Fairlie*
Gourock,
Greenock,
Girvan*
Helensburgh,
Hunter's Quay,
Hunterston*
Innellan,
Inverkip,
Irvine*
Kilcreggan,
Kilmun,
Kirn*
Lamlash,
Largs,
Lochranza*
Millport*
Port Bannatyne,
Portencross,
Port Glasgow,
Prestwick*
Rothesay*
Saltcoats,
Seamill,
Skelmorlie,
Strone*
Troon*
Wemyss Bay,
West KilbrideIslands in the Clyde
There are many islands in the firth. The largest all have thriving communities and regular ferry services connecting them to the mainland. They are:
*
Arran*
Bute*
CumbraeThere are many other inhabited and unihabited islands in the firth. See the
Islands of the lower Firth of Clyde for a more comprehensive list and links.
Sea lochs off the Clyde
*
Gare Loch*
Loch Long, and
Loch Goil*The
Holy Loch*
Loch Striven*
Loch Riddon off the
Kyles of Bute*
Loch Fyne, and
Loch Gilp*
Campbeltown Loch.
The Clyde formed an important sea route from the earliest times, and the
Battle of Largs marked the turning point for
Viking ambitions on the west of Scotland.
In
Victorian times with the advent of
tourism the area became popular with Glaswegians who travelled 'doon the watter' 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 the coast. Many towns such as
Largs,
Dunoon and
Rothesay flourished during this boom period and became fully fledged resorts with well appointed hotels and attractions.
Nowadays the
PS Waverley still makes trips to these coastal towns, allowing passengers to sail back in time.
In
1942 the World's first deep water test of a submarine oil pipeline was conducted on a pipeline laid across the Firth of Clyde in
Operation Pluto.
The "lower Clyde" shipyards of
Greenock and
Port Glasgow played an important role in shipbuilding, with the
Comet being the first successful
steamboat in
Europe, and a large proportion of the world's shipping being built there until well into the 20th century. In more recent times the natural beauty of the firth has been marred in places by a succession of industrial and military developments along the shoreline, including Hunterston and
Inverkip Power Stations, while at the same time shipbuilding has declined. Today only one lower Clyde shipyard survives, next to
Newark Castle, Port Glasgow, at the point where the firth becomes the
River Clyde. The Garvel
dry dock in Greenock continues in operation for ship repair, and the large Inchgreen dry dock in Port 'Glasgow is in occasional use. The sites of the former Greenock shipyards are currently being regenerated.
Common &
Grey Seals abound in the firth.
Harbour Porpoises are also common and while
Dolphins are much less so, they have been spotted in the upper reaches of the firth in the summer of
2005.
Whales do not favour the Clyde and although there have been instances of larger whales beaching themselves or becoming stranded in the upper firth, only smaller
Pilot or
Minke Whales seem to visit with any kind of regularity.
In 2005 the firth was listed as having the 2nd highest incidence of
basking shark sightings in Scotland (after the
The Minch). In particular these huge sharks seem to favour the warm, shallow waters surrounding
Pladda.
Although at one time heavily fished, the only catches remaining in Clyde waters today that are of any commercial interest to fisherman are
Prawns,
Lobster and
Herring.
There is a
Marine Biological Station run by the Universities of
Glasgow and
London on
Great Cumbrae.
The Firth of Clyde like the
River Clyde has historically been an important centre of shipbuilding. There have been shipyards at
Renfrew,
Greenock,
Port Glasgow and
Troon and a major boatyard at
Fairlie. Fergusons shipyard adjacent to
Newark Castle, Port Glasgow, is one of the last privately owned shipyards left in Scotland. Port Glasgow is also the site of one of the world's largest
dry dock and ship-repair facilities at Inchgreen. The dry dock there is 305m long and 44m wide.
The Firth of Clyde has one of the deepest sea entrance channels in northern Europe, which can accommodate the largest
Capesize vessels afloat, and as such the Clyde is one of the UK's leading ports, handling some 7.5 million tonnes of cargo each year, as well as regular
cruise liner traffic at Greenock's Ocean Terminal facility.
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A ship unloads at Greenock's Ocean Terminal. |
In addition to the existing bulk ore terminal at Hunterston; Clydeport, North Ayrshire Council and
Scottish Enterprise also propose a £200m international deep-water container terminal at Hunterston which would effectively act as a worldwide gateway port, and possibly become the major container port for the northern half of Europe. Initial environmental and economic impact studies are currently being undertaken.
The
Royal Navy also has a significant presence on the Clyde, at
HMNB Clyde on the
Gare Loch and on
Loch Long, while one of the three main ports providing marine services support vessels is at
Greenock. This formerly came under the
Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service which still operates some vessels, but the services have been put out to commercial tender by the
Warship Support Agency and are currently operated by
Serco Denholm, who are
preferred bidders for the next contract. The contract includes management of the ports at Devonport, Portsmouth and The Clyde (dual site operation at Faslane and Great Harbour, Greenock).
There are lighthouses at:
*
Cloch Point*
Toward Point*
Little Cumbrae*
Pladda
