Ornsay Lighthouse

The Ornsay Lighthouse stands on a small tidal islet called Eilean Sionnach beside the island of Ornsay in the Scottish Highlands. Built in 1857 by engineers Thomas and David Stevenson, it is a round stone tower with a lantern gallery and an attached keeper’s house. The first light began service on 11 November 1857 and was later fitted with stronger lenses to reach greater distances. The lighthouse was equipped with a fourteen-day emergency battery and modernised in 1988 when mains electricity arrived. Its white occulting beam flashes every eight seconds, and since 1962 the light has operated automatically. The keeper’s house, a single-storey building, now belongs to the Eilean Bàn Trust, and the islet can only be reached by boat. Visitors reach Ornsay by boat and find a quiet tidal island with the lighthouse rising above low grass and rock. The whitewashed tower and lantern stand out against the surrounding sea and distant hills. The keeper’s house, now in private hands, adds a touch of human scale to the scene. From the shore there are wide views across the Inner Hebrides to Skye and the mainland.