Ruvaal Lighthouse

Ruvaal Lighthouse stands at the north-eastern tip of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, marking the northern entrance to the Sound of Islay. The 19th-century tower was designed by David and Thomas Stevenson, sons of the famous lighthouse engineer Robert Stevenson. Construction began in 1857 and took two years to complete, with the total cost reaching £6,500. The brick tower rises 34 metres and has 158 steps to the lantern gallery. Sandstone frames the windows and doors, giving the structure a solid, practical appearance. The lighthouse was built to guide ships past the Neva Rocks, a hazard identified as early as 1835 by Robert Stevenson. Its light once required keepers to live on site, but helicopters in the 1980s made supply runs easier. A crash during construction injured the pilot but did not stop the work. Electricity arrived in 1981, allowing automation the next year, and the keepers left. The original Fresnel lens now decorates a garden on nearby Colonsay. Visitors find a tall whitewashed tower standing among keeper’s cottages and boundary walls, all protected as a category B listed building. The remote setting means the approach is quiet, with only the sound of wind and waves. The tower’s lantern still shines, though now operated automatically. The old cottages are private homes, and the site has no public tours. The preserved lens remains a reminder of the lighthouse’s long service to mariners.