Pentland Firth

American  

[pent-luhnd] / ˈpɛnt lənd /

noun

1. a strait between N Scotland and the Orkney Islands, linking the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean: noted for its rough sea conditions. 14 miles (23 km) long.

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Pentland Firth British  

/ ˈpɛntlənd /

noun

1. a channel between the mainland of N Scotland and the Orkney Islands: notorious for rough seas. Length: 32 km (20 miles). Width: up to 13 km (8 miles)

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Example Sentences

Swona is about a mile long and half a mile wide, and lies in the Pentland Firth, a stretch of famously difficult sea between Orkney and the north coast of the Scottish mainland.

From BBC • Sep. 13, 2025

Built in 1904, Bee spent its first three decades transporting sheep, cattle and horses from Stroma over the treacherous two miles of the Pentland Firth.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2025

Research in the Orkneys and the Pentland Firth will help unlock 6 billion pounds of investment, Salmond said in a May 18 speech on his renewable-energy policy.

From BusinessWeek • Jul. 5, 2011

A scaled-down, 300kw, prototype has already been tested off Norway and the same 1MW model is now being tested in the Pentland Firth off north Scotland.

From The Guardian • Mar. 17, 2011

"From the Pentland Firth to Norway, the eyes of the British Fleet are those of Nunquam."

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, January 24, 1917 by Various