Category: Tour Diary

So, I woke up this morning to a horrible sea mist, which played a huge part in the majority of my day, unfortunately.

I had attempted to visit Cromarty lighthouse (pictured) with a few friends a couple of years ago, but without success. It turns out we were just one road away from the lighthouse and a few metres from a map showing where it was. Never mind, I found it today, regardless of the persistent mist, which I kept being told by the weather people on BBC Radio Scotland would be burnt off by the sun by the afternoon. It wasn’t.

My second stop was Tarbat Ness, which is not only on a high cliff, it’s also pretty tall itself. It was easy enough to find, but as I approached it was barely visible with all of the mist. I managed to see it well enough by walking to it though and had a stroll down towards the rocks in front of it. Some fantastic views there.

The drive to my next stop, Lybster, was long, creepy and a little frightening at times. The A9 winds in and out of the hills, which I’m sure were lovely. I was completely focussed on the road though as I had cars behind me, bends that I had no idea how “bendy” they would be and the mist to contend with. Not sure I’d want to do that again. Fingers crossed I don’t have to.

The mist seemed to clear just as I reached Lybster. In fact, I could see where it started from the harbour. The lighthouse in Lybster is on the end of the pier and is no longer in use, but I’m sure it would be a really nice little area without the dreaded mist.

My final stop of the day was in Wick. I drove to the harbour to see the two lights there and then on to Noss Head. The lighthouse at Noss Head is on private land so there were no close-ups of this one for me, unfortunately!

I made the decision, after hours of driving today, to stay put in Wick for the night and not head for my next stop, Duncansby Head, at John O’Groats. So, that’s where I’m headed first thing tomorrow: the most north easterly point of mainland UK! 🙂

Well, my day began by trying to avoid an old man who was staying on the same campsite as me (he lived about 8 miles down the road apparently), but failing miserably. Last night he had asked me if I wanted to go to his caravan to keep warm/watch tv/have a cup of tea and I refused all three times. This morning I thought I’d better talk to him and there were a number of moments of silence in the conversation when any normal person would have just said ‘see ya then’ or something, but not him. He carried on standing there until I said something or he thought of something else to say. Honestly, what is it with me and old men?! Another one stopped his car next to me when he saw I’d been taking pictures of a lighthouse and proceeded to tell me something about lighthouses in the area. It may have been very interesting, but I could hardly understand a word his was saying!

Anyway, during my (late) research I found a number of smaller lighthouses in Scotland that are no longer operational and so you don’t hear about them. Around the Edinburgh area I had been irritated by not being able to find or see some of these smaller lighthouses so easily. So irritated, in fact, that I had almost decided to forget about them and just focus on those in operation and promoted by the Northern Lighthouse Board. However, today has changed my mind and I will tell you why at the end of the following paragraphs.

Rosehearty, Macduff and Banff (my first three stops of the day) were all small towns and not necessarily worth a huge mention. I would call them “sleepy” if I had to use one word to describe them. Macduff had a small ‘Macduff Movies’ shop, which looked very closed and, as a result, very dodgy.

It was on my way to my next stop, Cullen, that I drove over a bird. It’s my first incident involving an animal whilst driving and was horrible really. Basically, it didn’t move out of the road as I approached and I may have been able to do an emergency stop (there was no one behind me), but I didn’t and just after I passed over it I looked back and it was clearly pretty injured. I didn’t run over its body, which probably just makes it even more cruel. Anyway, that was horrible, but it happens all of the time (I’ve seen a lot of roadkill so far) so we must move on.

And move on I did! To Cullen, which is one of the towns that makes me pleased that I chose not to reject all of those smaller lighthouses. The lighthouse itself was nothing special, just your standard small structure on the end of the pier, but it was a really lovely place with a great feel about it and some amazing scenery (there’s a big old bridge that runs parallel to the beach, just beautiful). Probably a great place for a family holiday too (not that this applies to me, of course).

I don’t have a lot to say about my next stop, Buckie, except it has two lighthouses, which are lovely. One of them sits on a patch of grass in front of some houses and overlooks the harbour (this was where the old man stopped and started speaking at me). The only other thing I will say about the place is that no one there seems to know how to use roads properly. I had people pulling out in front of me on roundabouts, people crossing the road in front of me, all sorts of tomfoolery!

Covesea Skerries (pictured), which has just or is about to be turned off as the Northern Lighthouse Board believe it is now surplus to requirements, was my next destination. It wasn’t massively easy to get to and I had to stop and ask at a holiday park where they informed me of a little road near their entrance, which was easily missed. It is a shame that it’s been/being turned off, but it’s privately owned now, so hopefully they will keep it well-maintained.

My final stop involved a long old drive to Black Isle and Fortrose. I am staying at a campsite that is around 30 minutes walk from Chanonry Point lighthouse. So, I took a nice stroll along the beach to the lighthouse this evening. I had also been informed that dolphins frequented the point, but when I arrived a couple informed me that they may not be about for another couple of hours. It was really chilly, so I gave up on that idea. Another couple appeared to have pitched up on the point for the evening. Clearly they love dolphins!

Ooh creepy, I’ve just noticed a sea mist setting in again. It certainly does make a place a bit unnerving (it happened really suddenly this morning as I was leaving the campsite too). Weird! 🙂

So, today has been my favourite day so far, I think! The weather has been beautiful and I’ve seen some amazing lighthouses (and lots of them).

My first stop this morning was Tod Head (pictured). As with many Scottish lighthouses it was in a fairly remote location, at the end of a one-track road. This was fine on my way to the lighthouse, but a different matter on the way back, when I encountered three cars coming in the opposite direction. Not sure Little Car was happy with me, but we made it through!

I then stopped just south of Aberdeen at Girdleness. I was lucky with this one and managed to kill two birds with one stone as I could see the strange lighthouse on the end of the pier in Aberdeen harbour from the Girdleness lighthouse. It was a lovely location and I had a bit of a “case of the Flamborough Heads” and was just fascinated by the big old rocks and jagged coastline.

I then found heaven in the shape of Buchan Ness. The lighthouse is attached to the village of Boddam by a bridge and you are allowed over the bridge and around the small island as long as you realise it’s private land, basically. Anyway, I fell in love with the place and I think I’ll move in tomorrow!

Peterhead was my next destination and, in fact, where I am staying tonight. The views across the harbour are wonderful and the lighthouse on the end of the pier is one of those that is fairly unknown, I guess, now as it’s not owned by the Northern Lighthouse Board.

Having plenty of the day left I decided to skip ahead to my next two stops, doing them in reverse order. I was keen to get to Fraserburgh and Kinnaird Head lighthouses, which houses the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses. It closed at 5pm, hence my decision to do Rattray Head on my way back to Peterhead. The museum was fascinating! A brilliant experience. I arrived just in time for the start of a tour, which was given by the manager. The main bulk of the tour took place in Kinnaird Head lighthouse itself. We (me and a lovely old couple) were shown all of the different levels of the lighthouse, including the spare bedroom for any extra keeper they had to get in and the room where they prepared the paraffin for the lamp. The lighthouse itself was automated in 1991 and a lot of what was there then is still there today. The most exciting part, though, was that we not only got to go up to the lamp room, but he actually let us go inside the optic! It was amazing! He also span the optic around while we were in there (so we could see the view and how the sea looked through the optic, not just for fun). It was brilliant! I’d just like to point out that the big lighthouse we went inside in no longer in use (there is a smaller one next to it instead).

My final stop of the day was Rattray Head. Poor Little Car must have hated me again as the road to the car park was long and in really bad condition. We were bouncing around all over the place! She certainly didn’t enjoy that (and neither did I, to be honest). However, once we had parked up I took a long stroll over some huge sand dunes (I felt a bit like I was in the desert at points) and saw the lighthouse, which sits on a stone platform a little way out into the sea. It looked lovely, just sitting there!

So that’s been my day! I’ve heard that you are almost guaranteed a sighting of dolphins at Chanonry Point, which I should reach in the next couple of days. Woo hoo! 🙂

Well, what can I say about this weather except it’s just amazing?! Completely unexpected for Scotland. The only problem is that it’s brought the mosquitoes (which are, apparently, really bad on the west coast), so I’ve been on mosquito watch all day and have bought some stuff to, hopefully, protect me from them.

Anyway, before going to my first stop, Anstruther, I happened upon Pittenweem, a lovely little fishing village with some amazing views. Anstruther itself is very similar, except it has a very pointy lighthouse and about four piers (trying to find the right pier to walk along to approach the lighthouse was trickier than you might think! If there’s one thing I’ve learnt so far on this trip, it’s that what looks like the shortest distance to a destination isn’t necessarily the right one. I’ve experienced a number of occasions when I’ve chosen a path that looks like it heads directly towards the lighthouse, but then it’s veered off on a completely different path.

The weather started off brilliantly this morning and has continued all day, which makes a big difference. I’ve seen some amazing views, which (I’m pretty sure) would have looked a lot less interesting in the rain.

One lighthouse that I had managed to miss off of my list, but was informed about by my dad just a couple of nights ago, was at Fife Ness. I wasn’t entirely sure that I’d find it as I hadn’t prepared for it, but I parked up at a golf club near where I thought it would be. I asked the guy in the golf shop if he knew where it was. He didn’t, but he knew which direction it wasn’t in, which helped a little. So, I found it fairly easily and understood why it hadn’t shown up on my Google satellite view with images. It’s just tucked away in the cliff and isn’t easily seen from a distance. I had a bit of a walk to get to it, but I expected no less from Scotland!

I then drove north, through St Andrews and towards Dundee, where I headed east again. My next stop was in Barry, just between Monifieth and Carnoustie. There is a lighthouse on Buddon Ness, which I was only about to see from a distance. The problem with this area are the damn golf courses everywhere! Boo hiss!

My final lighthouse stop of the day was Scurdie Ness (pictured) in Montrose. Again, it was a good old walk to get to it, but luckily this one was tall enough to be seen a mile off, so I knew I was headed the right way. It’s a very “Scottish” lighthouse in that it looks very similar to the other major lights, but just like them it has some amazing surroundings. Lots of picture opportunities!

I’ve made a friend called Tom at the campsite I am staying at tonight. He’s ginger, very fluffy and a little bit chubby, but a friendly little cat!

Tomorrow I have a long old drive between my first three destinations, but hopefully the A90 will be good to me! 🙂

So, I might have added Bass Rock to my list as it was visible from the mainland and it’s just epic. It’s essentially a massive lump of rock sticking out of the sea with a lighthouse on it. I’ve seen it from about three different angles now and it’s amazing!

My second stop, once I found it, was Fidra, another island (closer to the coast than Bass Rock). Not quite as impressive, but still great to walk about near the beach to see it.

The same, unfortunately, can’t be said for my next stop in Newhaven. I saw it eventually, but only after numerous wrong turns. It was pretty much the same story in Methil. The small lighthouse is no longer in use and, for some reason, I found it a bit of a challenge to spot, only just about managing it before I was about to give up.

I then checked in at a campsite in Luddin Links. It’s a great site and, best of all, the owners have just brought me a birthday card and cake. This, once again, shows just how lovely people are being!

This evening I took a drive to Elie to try and redeem the day and it certainly did that. The small lighthouse on Elie Ness (pictured) is a picturesque little thing, like a small castle! It’s in a stunning location and luckily the sun had come out this afternoon, so I got some amazing views of Ruby Bay, the lighthouse and back across the villages to the west.

I feel sorry for poor Little Car today. She’s been bumped about a bit. The main incident was when I reversed into a high kerb, so I’ve had to tape her mud flap back on. Oops! I also knocked her door against a wall when I got out of Elie. I have been apologising to her a lot recently! 🙂

So, I’ve reached day 9 a.k.a. The day I entered Scotland! I had to smile to myself as I passed by the Scottish flags on the A1. I’m a big fan of Scotland and its landscape mostly. Just beautiful!

However, I must not get carried away. So, I began my day with a drive to Holy Island. I had been searching online to find the tides times as the island is inaccessible at high tide. It is linked to mainland UK by a causeway from a small village called Beal (just north of Seahouses and Bamburgh). At high tide the causeway disappears under the sea and there is no way to get to or from the island until the tide goes out again. The drive across the causeway wasn’t quite as scary as I expected it might be. The lighthouse (or should I say a stick with lots of electrical cables and solar panels on it) was nothing to write home about, but it’s a beautiful place and its remoteness at high tide adds a great deal of appeal to it, in my opinion. I also had a brief conversation with a man who had just found a halfpenny. He was rather pleased!

Fortunately, I managed not to get stranded and made my way on to Berwick-upon-Tweed, my final stop in the north east of England. I was only able to see the lighthouse from a distance as the pier is currently closed to the public. It’s a really picturesque town though, whilst still appearing relatively modern (it had a Cafe Nero where I bought lunch, mainly so I could use their facilities without feeling guilty).

My first port of call in Scotland was St Abb’s Head. This was my first glimpse of how challenging Scotland may be in comparison to England. Although I could have driven to the lighthouse I (very fortunately) decided to park up and walk it. It was a pretty long walk of uphills and downhills, but completely worth it. Aside from getting the opportunity to see the amazing coastline and cliffs on the way to the lighthouse, I also saw the man-made loch, which was just stunning. The weather today has been perfect and it was great to see all of this against blue skies. It was, however, a bit of a scary moment having to walk through a group of cows on both sides of the path who were all watching me! Frightening stuff!

My campsite tonight is just a couple of miles north of Barns Ness lighthouse (pictured), so I took a drive/stroll (I drove half way) to it this evening. It’s what I would call a typical-looking Scottish lighthouse, with a black top, yellow thing (you know, the bit that stops the light from being visible inland – a visor?!) and white tower. It makes for a fantastic structure, which looks great against the landscape.

There was a lovely man who showed me to my tent pitch when I arrived here. He was tramping about on the grass to check that it was dry enough and told me to go and sit in the laundry room if I got cold. He is a good example of the type of people I have come across so far. Everyone has been so caring and helpful. Good times! 🙂

I began the day by having a rather long chat with the owner of the B&B I stayed in (I’ve now left the area that seems to be seriously lacking in campsites) over breakfast. She was telling me about her back, her family history and her husband’s job! The B&B owners I have met so far have all been really friendly and very chatty.

Following a request from my sister, and to avoid the Tyne Tunnel experience again, I drove further inland this morning to pay a visit to the Angel of the North. I know some might say it’s ugly and a bit of an eyesore, but I like it. It is huge, but is a great landmark and a pretty peaceful area, considering it’s next to the A1.

With the advanced warning that the landscape gets a bit more industrial again at Blyth, I was looking forward to getting my first stop out of the way. However, I don’t quite know where that information originated. It may not have been a seaside town or boasted great views, but it was actually a pleasant enough (but very cold) start to the lighthouse-hunting day.

I then called in at Amble, which refers to itself as “the friendliest port” on its welcome sign. I don’t know about that. My first experience was of lots of people walking across roads in front of me, which came across as more annoying than friendly if I’m honest! Perhaps if they had walked out in front of me waving banners saying ‘Welcome to Amble, Sarah’ I might feel differently and may be inclined to agree to their claim.

Just outside of Amble I passed through, what looked like, a beautiful little village, Warkworth. I imagine its main attraction is the castle, which sits on top of a hill as you enter the village from the south. Then you pass along a quaint little road and a really pretty bridge. Simply lovely!

I then stopped at Seahouses and got my first glimpse of the Farne Islands. The sky was clearing by this point and the sun was out over the islands and their own lighthouses. The old lighthouse on the pier seemed to be quite the little gathering place, which I assume is because it provides (very slightly) closer views of the Farne Islands. As I walked back from the lighthouse I overheard someone who had been out on a boat saying that there had been plenty of puffins about today. There are a number of boat trips from Seahouses, most of which provide an opportunity to see puffins and seals, but I don’t think I would have got on one of those boats today if I was paid! Not in these winds!

My final stop of the day was Bamburgh. By this point the sky was turning blue and the sun was shining, which made a welcome change! The lighthouse looks out across the North Sea and there are some fantastic views from the road leading to the lighthouse (pictured, at the left of the picture).

Just two stops left in North East England and then I’m off to Scotland! 🙂

What a lovely day! It’s been great to get back to some sensible coastline without huge factories everywhere.

Firstly, and very excitingly, I have seen my first “lighthouse in action” in the evening. I am staying in South Shields tonight and have just got back from meeting an old friend from school who I haven’t seen for 19 years as she moved to Durham with her family when we were 10. Really great to catch up (and there was so much catching up to do). So, I am staying just a road away from the beach here and I thought, on my way back, I’d take a small detour to see how the lighthouses on the ends of the piers are doing and one of them is doing just what a lighthouse should! If I look through the trees out of my bedroom window I can see the flashing every now and then. Very exciting!

So, my day started in Seaham where I was, unfortunately, not able to access the pier in which the lighthouse is on, but judging from some of the pictures I’ve seen of the waves breaking over it, it’s probably for the best! I also had a wander along the beach and took more photos of eroding cliffs (I think I’ll become a geologist)!

Sunderland was a great one (or should I say two). The two lighthouses are in Roker, one on the end of the pier and the other a short distance away in a park. I braved the walk along the pier, which is attacked by waves in some places. Fortunately, I managed to dodge them. The lighthouse is somewhat weather-beaten, but still standing and there was actually a light on in one of the windows, which I found odd in a pleasing way. The second lighthouse has a more modern look about it.

Souter lighthouse (pictured) was my third stop of the day. I was expecting it to be set further away from the road, but as I turned the corner there it was with it’s big, red and white stripes. The lighthouse itself is in fantastic condition (probably because The National Trust have to keep it that way to attract visitors)! The foghorn located in front of the lighthouse is huge and I imagine, if that goes off when you’re in the area, you won’t be hearing anything for days!

I then, rather quickly, passed through South Shields and saw the two lighthouses at the end of the piers (one technically classed as North Shields) and the intriguing red structure. I have since come back to these, of course, exactly as the rescue helicopter and lifeboats were finishing a rescue near one of the piers. Got some rather nice pictures of them as well!

Although it meant having to go back on myself for accommodation tonight I had enough time to travel on to my next stop and back. This one was on St Mary’s Island, essentially a large rock with a handful of buildings on it just north of Whitley Bay. The island is only accessible at low tide via a causeway, which is completely submerged when the tide is in. When I arrived it wasn’t accessible, but it looked just beautiful. 🙂