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 has a sandy beach. It lies on the Fife Coastal Path, adjacent to Carlingnose Point Nature Reserve.

History

Port Laing is named as such in an 1856 Ordinance Survey 6 inch map. 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’).

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.

  • Port Laing seaplane base National Monuments Record of Scotland card.

External links

  • Media related toPort Laingat Wikimedia Commons