Ornsay

Ornsay is a small tidal island off the Sleat peninsula on the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides. A natural harbour lies sheltered between Ornsay and the shore. The village of Isleornsay overlooks this harbour on the mainland side. Nearby stands Eilean Sionnach, a smaller islet that once held the lighthouse keeper’s cottage. After automation the cottage passed into private hands and now serves as holiday lodging. The Stevenson brothers built the lighthouse in 1857 to guide vessels into the Sound of Sleat. The lighthouse remains an important aid to navigation. Its masonry tower carries a lantern and gallery above the former keeper’s house. The optic was designed to vary its intensity with distance, giving stronger light where needed. A fourteen-day battery keeps the emergency light running if all else fails. Mains power reached the tower in 1988 during a modernisation programme. Since 1962 the light has operated automatically, flashing white every eight seconds. Visitors reach Ornsay at low tide across a sandy causeway. The keeper’s cottage on Eilean Sionnach can be rented for short breaks. The lighthouse itself is closed to the public, but its beam still sweeps the Minch. The surrounding waters attract seals and seabirds, while the hills of Sleat rise behind Isleornsay. The scene offers calm anchorage and wide views over the Inner Hebrides.