Little Spiker

Island in East Lothian

Scotland

Little Spiker

East Lothian Townscape : Red, amber, green With a bonus topping of Thyboron Fisk from Jutland, Denmark. — East Lothian Townscape : Red, amber, green Credit: Richard West

Little Spiker is a small island located off the coast of East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated in the Firth of Forth, approximately 2 kilometers southeast of the town of North Berwick. The island is part of a group of islands known as the Fidra group, which also includes Fidra and The Lamb.

Little Spiker measures around 500 meters in length and 200 meters in width, with a total area of approximately 7 hectares. It is primarily composed of rocky terrain, with a few areas covered by grass and low-lying vegetation. The island's coastline is rugged and characterized by steep cliffs, making it inaccessible for most visitors.

The island is uninhabited and lacks any significant infrastructure or amenities. It is mainly utilized as a nesting site for various seabird species, including Atlantic puffins, razorbills, and guillemots. These birds find refuge in the island's cliffs, where they build their nests and rear their young during the breeding season.

Due to its important ecological role as a seabird sanctuary, Little Spiker is protected under various conservation laws and regulations. Access to the island is restricted to prevent disturbance to the nesting birds and their habitats. However, visitors can still observe the abundant birdlife from a distance by boat or from the nearby coastal areas.

Overall, Little Spiker is a picturesque and ecologically significant island in East Lothian, offering a haven for seabirds and providing a unique opportunity for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts to appreciate Scotland's rich biodiversity.

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Little Spiker Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 56.008048/-2.5115832 or Grid Reference NT6879. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

East Lothian Townscape : Red, amber, green

With a bonus topping of Thyboron Fisk from Jutland, Denmark.

Richard West

East Lothian Townscape : Medical Emergency?

I reckon that this 'ere Saltees Fish needs to visit the box-doctor without delay.

Richard West

Coastal East Lothian : I Am Curious (Yellow and Orange)

By what strange alchemy does yellow become orange?

Richard West

Winterfield GC

Golf course in Dunbar. View of the Bass Rock and Fife.

Richard Webb

Cromwell Harbour, Dunbar

The older of the two harbours at Dunbar.

Bob Jones

Victoria Harbour, Dunbar

The newer of the two harbours at Dunbar.

Bob Jones

Centre of Dunbar

G McK

John Muir Statue, Dunbar

John Muir (1838-1914) was America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist. He is one of California's most important historical personalities. He has been called "The Father of the National Parks," "Wilderness Prophet," and "Citizen of the Universe." He once described himself more humorously, and perhaps most accurately, as, a "poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist and ornithologist-naturalist etc. etc. !!!!" Legendary librarian and author Lawrence Clark Powell (1906-2001) said of him: "If I were to choose a single Californian to occupy the Hall of Fame, it would be this tenacious Scot who became a Californian during the final forty-six years of his life."

John Darcy

Belhaven Brewery

Great beer since 1719

John Darcy

Lochend

Lochend Wood, looked like a small wood surrounded by farmland on the OS map. Now the woods are becoming surrounded by new houses. The woodland remains though and I have recently visited it for orienteering.

Richard Webb

Road to nowhere

The ghost exit of this roundabout at Lochend suggests that the field will not be growing winter barley for much longer. Dunbar is expanding fast because folk can no longer afford to live in Edinburgh. With the new A1 pseudo-motorway the East Lothian towns are being rapidly developed. Whether many can afford Dunbar is a good question. Looking east towards the cement works. Development of the site has begun, and there is now a supermarket here.

Richard Webb

Lochend.

Estate from an access roundabout. Looking west. The exit behind me just leads to a field, but soon this roundabout will be in the middle of a lot of houses, and not a safe place for casual photographers to lurk.

Richard Webb

Last day for the Bellevue

The Dunbar hotel devastated by fire in 1986 was finally demolished in February 2006 after a decade of arguments over whether the building should be preserved or torn down. A fine hotel in its hey day with 365 windows (days), 53 bedrooms (weeks), 12 public rooms (months) and 4 floors (seasons). Retirement homes will be built on the site.

Lisa Jarvis

Dunbar Golf Course

The Dunbar Golf Course is laid out on the land where Oliver Cromwell's army camped prior to the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. Dunbar East Links, situated on the estuary of the Firth of Forth, is a combination of links and inland turf, laid out on a narrow stretch of land which follows the natural contours of the coastline.

Lisa Jarvis

Brox Burn

Enters the Firth of Forth Estuary through Dunbar Golf Course NT6978 : Dunbar Golf Course.

Lisa Jarvis

Friar's Croft, Dunbar

Nearby to Dunbars supermarkets is this old doocot which represents the sole remains of Dunbar's Trinitarian priory, established by Christiana de Brus, Countess of Dunbar in the 1240s. Pigeons are still in residence.

Lisa Jarvis

Lobster pots, Dunbar harbour

Lobster pots on the quayside at Dunbar around sunset

Stephen Craven

Dunbar Battery

The battery was erected in 1781 to protect the town of Dunbar from sudden invasion. The remains consist of a strong wall surrounding the site and embrasures for cannons in three sides. From this one the islands of Long Steeple, Round Stepple and the Yetts can be seen.

Lisa Jarvis

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Little Spiker is located at Grid Ref: NT6879 (Lat: 56.008048, Lng: -2.5115832)

Unitary Authority: East Lothian

Police Authority: The Lothians and Scottish Borders