Cromarty Lighthouse

The Cromarty Lighthouse stands on a narrow spit at the mouth of the Cromarty Firth in the Highland village of Cromarty. Built by Alan Stevenson of the famous Stevenson lighthouse family, the two-storey round tower was finished in 1846 and lit that same year. Its lantern, surrounded by an iron balcony, rises just thirteen metres above sea level yet its beam once reached fourteen nautical miles.

The white-painted buildings share classical Greek-Egyptian details with Stevenson’s nearby Chanonry Lighthouse. White walls with ocker trim frame sixteen-pane sash windows and pilastered doors. The main keeper’s house is two storeys tall, while single-storey wings extend on either side under a flat roof. All these features were designed to guide ships safely into the firth.

Visitors walk along the spit to the harbour edge where the lighthouse overlooks the water. The tower’s modest height and sturdy form make it easy to inspect at close range. The surrounding buildings, with their neat classical lines, sit slightly above the tide line, offering calm views across the firth.