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In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Pentland Firth like this:
Pentland Firth, strait, between Caithness and the Orkney Islands, connecting the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean; is 20 miles long and from 6½ to 8 miles broad; its navigation is rendered difficult and dangerous by the rapidity of the tidal current - from 6 to 12 miles an hour - and by dangerous eddies or whirlpools.
Pentland Firth is now part of HIGHLAND Council. Click here for graphs and data of how HIGHLAND has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Pentland Firth itself, go to Statistics.
How to reference this page:
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Pentland Firth, in Highland and Scotland | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/26843
Date accessed: 08th April 2026
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Pentland Firth".
