Stoer Head Lighthouse

Stoer Head Lighthouse stands on a narrow promontory at Stoer Head in the far northwest of the Highlands. Built in 1870 by the Stevenson brothers, it is a squat stone tower only 14 metres tall, yet its position on 60-metre cliffs lets the white flash be seen 39 kilometres out to sea. A single beam cuts the darkness every fifteen seconds to guide vessels along this rugged coast.

The site once needed two keepers and their families, who lived in cottages now used as holiday homes. Their old byre, stable and stores still stand near the lighthouse, while a bothy beside the ruined jetty holds a faded 19th-century mural of the tower. A second bothy, the Salmon Bothy, once held salted fish for the builders.

Visitors walk the short track from the B869 to reach the lighthouse and the cliffs. From there the Old Man of Stoer and Point of Stoer lie within easy reach on foot. The wind-swept headland offers wide views over the Minch, and the Stevenson’s sturdy stonework remains as solid today as when first lit.