There’s fuc*k all on Rockall   57°35’48”N 13°41’19”W
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  Monday 5th July 2004  Rockall   Powered by Yeast Logic
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So, where the bloody hell is Rockall?

A good question
by De Management

Thanks very much this week to reader Kenneth Hitchen for putting us straight on the exact position of Rockall. Well, exact-ish:

In today's article "Rockall: Visible from space or what?" you accuse Rick Lones of confusing Rockall with St Kilda, but you are also confused. The arrow you have inserted onto the diagram actually points to the Anton Dohrn Seamount and not Rockall. The seamount is an underwater mountain approx 40km in diameter and c. 1750m high but with its highest point still c. 700m below sea level. Rockall is a further 150km further west.

Here's the satellite image in question, reproduced from last week's issue:

Image courtesy of NASA

Mr Hitchen may have a point. Here is the position of Rockall as indicated on our lovely Rockall map t-shirt:

This is where Rockall is, no doubt about it

Now, if you think that looks a bit crude and approximate, we can confirm that this is indeed more-or-less exactly where the sacred islet lies: 230 nautical miles due west of the Hebridean island of North Uist. And we should know, because we've been there - twice. Alternatively, try this Google Earth pinpointation of Rockall, according to our own co-ordinates:

Rockall, according to Google Earth

Mind you, it's pretty easy to get confused out there on the cruel sea. Indeed, if you nip into any pub on the Western Isles and ask for directions, you'll just get a "Rockall? Sure - go to North Uist, turn left and keep going until you hit something made of granite somewhere between here and America".

Readers who would like to deploy their own atlases will find Rockall at 57°35'48"N and 13°41'19"W. Of course, you won't actually find anything marked there, but that's where the thing is and we have a GPS reading to prove it. Happy hunting.

 The Peoples' Republic of Rockall Heritage Paint Range