Beaming beacons: 10 Scottish lighthouses to visit

Lighthouses are great places to visit. Not only are they architectural curiosities but thanks to their function of guiding and warning ships, they are always found in the most beautiful and wild locations. Many of the Scottish lighthouses on this list used to be manned, but these days they are all operated remotely by the Northern Lighthouse Board. This means that while they continue to ensure the safety of boats, some of these buildings have acquired new and interesting functions: as museums, private homes and visitor attractions.

Below you can find our top 10 Scottish Lighthouses, all of which you can visit, although some are harder to reach than others…

1. Museum of Scottish Lighthouses

The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses forms part of the first lighthouse ever built on mainland Scotland, Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. This unique and informative museum contains several galleries full of interesting artefacts including a collection of glass lenses, information on lighting technology and audio-visual displays. The museum is located in Fraserburgh just 1 hour from Aberdeen and entry costs £6 for adults and £3 for children.

2. Neist Point Lighthouse

Neist Point has to be one of the most picturesque places you’ll ever visit! The lighthouse can be found on the most westerly point of the Isle of Skye and the natural rock formations of the area as well as the abundance of wildlife including sea-birds, dolphins and whales make this spot a truly breath-taking place to visit. Take some steep steps from the car park down to visit the lighthouse which stands at 19m high. The lighthouse and its surrounding cottages are privately owned so you cannot go inside but the spectacular views you’ll see are well-worth the visit!

3. Lismore Lighthouse

Lismore lighthouse is located on a small island named Eilean Musdile at the southwest tip of Lismore. Built by Robert Stevenson in 1833, an engineer working for the Northern Scottish Board, the white tower of the lighthouse rises to 26 metres and has ancillary buildings surrounding it. Lismore is located in the Inner Hebrides and can easily be visited by taking a ferry from Oban on the Scottish mainland. The island is very beautiful and there are a number of things to see that will interest visitors.

4. Ardnamurchan Lighthouse

Ardnamurchan Lighthouse is located at the most westerly point of mainland Scotland in Argyll and has been safely guiding ships though the waters off the coast since 1849. The 36 metre high lighthouse has a fantastic viewing platform to give you the most picturesque views of the natural surroundings and has an air-powered fog horn which is an original feature. At the top be sure to look out for dolphins and whales in the sea as this is a popular place to spot them. The lighthouse is easy to reach and open from the beginning of April until the end of October, there’s plenty of parking here too and refreshments close by.

5. Sumburgh Head Lighthouse

Sumburgh Head Lighthouse on the southern tip of Mainland Shetland in the Shetland Islands is a really fantastic place to visit, having a visitor centre and also being part of an important nature reserve. The lighthouse was built in 1821 and became fully automated in 1991. The tower stands 91 metres above sea level and it has double thickness walls due to its extreme exposure to the elements. The nearby visitor centre tells the story of the lighthouse and engine room as well as providing information on the amazing local flora and fauna to be found in this RSPB Scotland awarded nature reserve.

6. Bass Rock Lighthouse

Located in the Firth of Forth near Dunbar, Bass Rock is a large volcanic island about 1 mile in circumference rising 107 metres out of the sea. Bass Rock is home to the 20m Bass Rock Lighthouse which was constructed in 1902 alongside the ruins of a once important castle and the remains of a chapel. The lighthouse has been unmanned since 1988, when the light paraffin oil lamp was replaced with an automated light which is controlled remotely from the mainland. If you want to see the lighthouse, a limited number of companies offer cruises to the rock which is also famous for its seabird colonies making it an ideal trip for wildlife enthusiasts or photographers.

7. Bell Rock Lighthouse

Bell Rock lighthouse lies 11 miles off the coast of Angus and is one of the most interesting on this list. It is the world’s oldest surving sea-washed lighthouse and was built in 1807 on the partially submerged Bell Rock in the North Sea. It stands 35 metres tall and has a light which can be seen from 35 miles away. The lighthouse was built with such quality masonry work that nothing has been adapted or replaced for 200 years except the lamp in 1843. Access to the lighthouse isn’t possible although there are some local boat companies offering sea tours which give you the best chance of seeing the lighthouse up close.

8. Mull of Galloway Lighthouse

The Mull of Galloway is Scotland’s most southerly point and here you can find Scotland’s most southerly lighthouse, which was built by Robert Stevenson between 1928 and 1930. The tower is 26 metres high and when lit the lamp can be seen 28 miles away on a clear night. The lighthouse tower is open for visitors and there’s an interesting exhibition in the engine room too. Tickets are £4 for adults and £1.50 for children and the lighthouse is open every day from 10am-4pm between April and October. There a great family beach nearby with rock pools the kids can explore and a number of coastal walks to enjoy.

9. Start Point Lighthouse

Start Point Lighthouse on the Orkney island of Sanday was originally built as an unlit masonry tower but it was soon apparent that a light was needed due to the number of shipwrecks happening in the area. Robert Stevenson decided to put a lamp in the tower in 1806. It was the first lighthouse to have a revolving light and it was painted with a unique black and white stripe in 1915, making it one of the most recognisable of Scotland’s lighthouses.

10. Barns Ness Lighthouse

Barns Ness Lighthouse in Dunbar on the southeast coast of Scotland was built in 1901. The tower is 36 metres high and the lighthouse survived machine gun fire during WW2, which has been put down to the strong stone it is constructed from taken from nearby quarries. The lighthouse, like most in Scotland, is now remotely operated and visitors cannot go inside but can admire the lighthouse exterior and its stunning natural surroundings.

Scotland has many unique and characteristic lighthouses in a number of different locations. Apart from offering stunning views, all the lighthouses on this list have fascinating histories to discover.