Ailsa Craig

Rocky islet in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, about 16 km/10 mi off the coast of South Ayrshire, opposite Girvan; population (2001) 0. It forms a cone rising abruptly from the sea to a height of 338 m/1,114 ft, with a circumference of about 3 km/2 mi. Ailsa Craig's fine grained granite rock, ‘Ailsite’, was used in the manufacture of curling stones. The islet is a breeding ground for sea birds and home to one of the largest colonies of gannets in Britain. There is a lighthouse at the southern tip which has been operating since 1886.