Incholm is the odd man out among the islands of the Firth of Forth, for although there are plenty of wartime ruins that echo those on Cramond Island, it is not grim hulks of concrete that shape its character. The slim waisted island lies a mile out of Dalgety Bay near the north shore of the firth, close enough for an easy crossing in calm weather, even in a rowing boat. But in storm conditions the passage can turn treacherous. In 1123 a gale caught King Alexander 1 of Scotland out in the estuary, and proved so ferocious that the monarch was obliged to shelter for three days with the hermit of Incholm. One speculates with fascination on the nature of the food and accommodation, and on what passed between all-powerful king and ascetic solitary. In any event Alexander was so grateful that he founded a monastery and it is the magnificent and remarkably complete ruin of the buildings that dominates the island today.

 

Extract from Best Wild Places, Christopher Somerville