Rona Lighthouse

Rona Lighthouse stands on South Rona, a small island off Scotland’s north-west coast. The Northern Lighthouse Board maintains the white-painted tower, which is Category B listed. Thomas and David Stevenson designed the 19th-century structure, completed in 1857. A single beam from the lantern reaches twenty-two nautical miles out to sea. The keepers once lived in cottages beside the tower, but by 1930 only the lighthouse staff remained. The station’s history includes a shipwreck return book that records every vessel lost near the island. Supplies came by boat from Portree until the light was automated in 1975. After automation, the logbooks, stores lists and visitor books were moved to the National Records of Scotland. The old quay where boats landed still lies below the tower. The Stevenson family’s engineering survives in the tower’s granite walls and lantern. Visitors find a quiet grassy headland where the lighthouse stands. A short path leads from the shore to the tower’s base. The view stretches across the Minch to Skye on clear days. Seals often rest on the rocks below the quay. The old keepers’ cottages now form part of the automated station.