Duncansby Head

Duncansby Head stands at the north-eastern tip of the Scottish mainland in Caithness, Highland. The headland thrusts into the North Sea between the Pentland Firth to the north and west and the Moray Firth to the south. It lies slightly north-east of John o’ Groats and about twenty kilometres east-south-east of Dunnet Head, the mainland’s northernmost point. The coast is shaped by constant waves and wind, carving deep geos, sea caves and blowholes into the cliffs. Towering Duncansby Stacks rise from the sea, their pointed shapes the result of millions of years of erosion. The whole stretch from Duncansby Head down to Skirza Head is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The cliffs hold one of Britain’s most important seabird colonies. Each spring and summer thousands of puffins, guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes nest on the ledges. Grey seals often haul out on nearby skerries, while harbour porpoises and occasional minke whales feed in the waters. The headland is also part of the North Coast 500 route, bringing walkers and photographers to its wild scenery. Local stories tell of sea spirits and ghost ships gliding through the Pentland Firth. Artists and poets have long drawn inspiration from the raw power of this northern coastline. A white lighthouse built by David Alan Stevenson in 1924 marks the point. The tower still guides ships, now powered by solar energy after automation in 1987. For sixty-three years a foghorn sounded five blasts every two minutes in thick weather, until it was removed in 2003 and later displayed at John o’ Groats. The automated light keeps watch over the churning currents where the North Sea meets the Atlantic. Visitors walk the cliff paths to watch seabirds wheel above the stacks and feel the full force of the northern ocean.