After getting some sleep, it was time to get back on the island.
I'm going to go to the other side of the island to see what's over there, it's a crazy place - everything is crumbling and very dangerous. All over the island, there are signs that inform you that you're here at your own risk. Can't say it's the most comforting thing, but it's obvious the current owners don't want any liability - and quite rightly so!
This isn't a place to mess around, if you slip or fall, you could seriously injure yourself. There were a few occasions where I did think - I'm on an abandoned island, 3 levels deep in a tunnel system, crawling through some small opening - and just thinking if something was to go wrong.....how long would it be before someone found my remains?
... No one would hear your shouts for help, especially not over the noise of all the birds...there is a reason for all the signs, but with the dingy already blown up from yesterday - it's time to go exploring! And what a beautiful morning it was!
Going topside, I see that the other yacht had left, and I had considered moving the yacht into the harbour where they'd been, but I decided not to - as I had a fear about the anchor.
When I had left the pier in a bit of a hurry, I didn't exactly look at the chart prior to dropping the anchor and when I got back last night - I noticed that the GPS says we've dropped our hook on a disused submarine cable, so there may be a chance the anchor might be snagged on something...possibly.
At this moment, I don't know if it's fine or fouled, a sort of 'Schrödinger's Anchor'. Rather than deal with that now, I just grabbed my things, hopped in the dingy, and went ashore, if there's a problem I can deal with it later. I informed the crew of the situation, they should keep an eye on things while I'm away...
Most of what I got up to is in the Video below. I also took some photos that should kinda give you an idea of the scale of this place... there are just so many empty buildings, and I'd say that more than half of it - is underground.
Just everywhere you look, there are bits of buildings popping out through the mass of weeds and some formidable nettle forests...
Every building on this island is a disaster, except for the Lighthouse, it seemed in good condition - and the light certainly works, fully automated, of course.
It is the only thing that works on the island, and also the only thing that's had a coat of paint in the last 50yrs, but is itself an impressive building built in 1803! Kinda looks like a mini-castle.
But everything else on the island is in ruins - and whatever remains - only remains because it was so overbuilt for military applications. But everything here has also just been left to the elements, and nothing lasts forever, and I think most everything that could have been unbolted and hauled away, has been...
In the Video below I go all over the Eastern Side of the island, more tunnels, more buildings - just soo much abandoned-ness.
It's kinda a long video, but it's a big island and there was lots to see, feel free to watch at a faster speed...I tried to cut it down quite a bit, but it still came out hella long.
After getting back to the boat, we managed to get the anchor up with no problems at all, honestly, I think we were very lucky, I need to be a bit more careful about these things...especially in these kinds of places.
But after getting away from the island, I did feel a sort of relief that we had gotten on and off the island over two days with no real disasters, and the fact that it was over now - was actually a bit of a relief.
I feel the longer you spend exploring that place, the greater probability that something is going to get you, a falling slate, an unseen shaft - just any number of 'final destination' type of scenarios you can think of. I was just glad to get away in one piece with zero injuries.
About this Island
This island is called Inchkeith, and it's located in the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
This Island has had stuff going on since before the 12th century, there is little or no info on those early days, but it has been the site of a quarantine, both for Syphilis and the Plague, and in a similar capacity it was used to isolate two children in a bizarre language experiment...and it was, at an earlier time, occupied by the French until a treaty was signed.
The Island was also used in WW1 and WW2 as defenses for the area, but in 1957 the island was left entirely to fend for itself, and left to the mercy of the birds, the weather, and time.
You can read the full history HERE. It's an interesting read...a lot of history to such a small place...
NOTE: The island has recently been sold to a new owner - and should be undergoing some development in the near future, and hopefully some preservation.