Port Laing is a small bay in North Queensferry in Fife, Scotland, and an inlet of Inverkeithing Bay within the Firth of Forth.
| Port Laing | |
|---|---|
 Port Laing beach in 2013 | |
| Location | Fife |
| Coordinates | 56°00′58″N 3°23′24″W / 56.016211°N 3.390092°W |
| Type | Bay |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Port Laing | |
Port Laing has a sandy beach. It lies on the Fife Coastal Path, adjacent to Carlingnose Point Nature Reserve.[1][2]
History
editPort Laing is named as such in an 1856 Ordinance Survey 6 inch map.[3] The name origin of Port Laing, according to the University of Glasgow, is uncertain; it could contain the common Scottish surname Laing or derive from port long meaning ‘harbour of ships’ (in Gallic, the word long means ‘ship’).[4]
Opened in 1912 a Royal Navy Air station operated at Port Laing, known as RNAS Port Laing. This is said to be the first military air station in Scotland. The station had three sheds, each containing a seaplane, and was located on the shore. It later became clear Port Laing was not an ideal location, exposed to winds blowing up the Firth of Forth, and the station ceased to operate in either 1914 or 1917.[5][6][7][8]
Port Laing seaplane station, from Edinburgh Evening News, 3 October 1912. Shows Cdr. Samson RN (third from left).
Port Laing seaplane base National Monuments Record of Scotland card.
References
edit- ↑ "North Queensferry coastal circuit". walkhighlands. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Port Laing". Fife Coast & Countryside Trust. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Scotland on Sunday Travel - Treasure hunting in North Queensferry, Fife". The Scotsman. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Fife Place-name Data :: Port Laing". fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Limekilns to Burntisland". Fife Coast & Countryside Trust. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Port Laing from The Gazetteer for Scotland". The Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Carlingnose (Port Laing)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Port Laing - UK Airfield Guide". www.ukairfieldguide.net. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
External links
edit
Media related to Port Laing at Wikimedia Commons
