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The Great Britain Guide

Lighthouses · Scottish Islands

Cape Wrath Lighthouse

Cape Wrath Lighthouse — lighthouse located at the most North-Westerly point of the British mainland, in Sutherland, Scotland.

Cape Wrath Lighthouse, lighthouses in Scottish Islands

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
30 min–1 h
  • Free entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Dog-friendly

About

Cape Wrath Lighthouse is a working or historic lighthouse on the United Kingdom coast. Records date its origin to 1828. Designed by Robert Stevenson. Heritage designation: category A listed building. Managed by Northern Lighthouse Board. Wikidata describes it as: "lighthouse located at the most North-Westerly point of the British mainland, in Sutherland, Scotland". Coordinates: 58.6256°, -4.9992°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

Cape Wrath Lighthouse at Cape Wrath was built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson and was manned until 1998, when it was converted to automatic operation by the Northern Lighthouse Board. It is located at the most North-Westerly point on the British mainland, in the traditional county of Sutherland within Highland Region. Durness is the closest village, 10 miles (16 km) to the south-east with Inverness around 120 miles (190 km) to the south. Overlooking the Cape are the ruins of the Lloyd's signal station, which was used to monitor shipping and was built in the 19th century.

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Cape Wrath Lighthouse at Cape Wrath was built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson and was manned until 1998, when it was converted to automatic operation by the Northern Lighthouse Board. It is located at the most North-Westerly point on the British mainland, in the traditional county of Sutherland within Highland Region. Durness is the closest village, 10 miles (16 km) to the south-east with Inverness around 120 miles (190 km) to the south. Overlooking the Cape are the ruins of the Lloyd's signal station, which was used to monitor shipping and was built in the 19th century. The light, which is 122 metres (400 ft) above sea level, is visible for 22 nautical miles (41 km; 25 mi).

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The lighthouse was built in 1828. Due to its height the light was often obscured by low cloud or fog and in the early 20th century plans were drawn up to build an additional low light. This involved the construction of tunnels into the headland, bridges and building on the very tip of the rocks below the headland. Plans were drawn up by David Alan Stevenson, Robert's grandson and work began in 1913 but was suspended at the start of World War I and never restarted. The light was originally a paraffin lamp with red and white reflectors. This was replaced by mercury vapour lamps in 1978 and in 1980 an electrical temporary power beam was installed with a gear less pedestal and array system…

Architecture

The lighthouse is a 20 m tall white-washed tower built of granite with a single storey semi-circular base building. A number of lighthouse keepers cottages and store buildings are located near to the lighthouse, with the complex surrounded by a perimeter wall. The lighthouse and its associated buildings are designated as a Category A listed building. This was used during the building of the lighthouse to supply materials along a rough road and was the main landing point for supplies and stores during the staffed operation of the lighthouse, although from 1977 onwards helicopters were also used for resupply. The lighthouse is now considered to be the end of the Cape Wrath Trail, an…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
58.6256, -4.9992
Address
Sutherland<br> Scotland
Established
1828

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Cape Wrath Lighthouse?
Cape Wrath Lighthouse is in the Scottish Islands, United Kingdom.
What is Cape Wrath Lighthouse?
Cape Wrath Lighthouse — lighthouse located at the most North-Westerly point of the British mainland, in Sutherland, Scotland.
How do I get to Cape Wrath Lighthouse?
Its coordinates are 58.6256°, -4.9992°.
When was Cape Wrath Lighthouse built?
Built or established in 1828. Designed by Robert Stevenson.
Who runs Cape Wrath Lighthouse?
Cape Wrath Lighthouse is operated by Northern Lighthouse Board.
Is Cape Wrath Lighthouse a listed building?
Cape Wrath Lighthouse is officially recognised as category A listed building listed.
Is Cape Wrath Lighthouse free to visit?
Yes, Cape Wrath Lighthouse is free to enter.