Dunnet Head Lighthouse

27/10/2024

Did you know that the Northern Lighthouse Board is responsible for the upkeep and operation of 208 lighthouses and 174 buoys in Scotland and the Isle of Man? If you want to know more about the work of the Board, check out this episode of Our Lives, available now in the UK on the BBC iplayer.

22/09/2024

Many thanks to our guest Andreas from Germany for sending this amazing shot of the aurora as seen from the lighthouse. We are so glad that you got to see the Northern Lights during your stay - what a great capture! 😍

23/07/2024

If you are going to be in Caithness this Saturday don't miss the north of Scotland's premier sporting event - Halkirk Highland Games! This year is extra special as Halkirk will be hosting the 2024 RSHGA World Heavyweight Championships, so plenty of opportunity to see events such as tossing the caber, throwing the hammer, putting the shot and throwing the weight for height and distance. Plus Highland dancing, piping, side stalls and funfair - a great day out for all the family.

🎉 17 days to go 🎉

Make sure to come along to the Halkirk Highland Games on the 27th of July where there are many events for the whole family to enjoy including…
💪🏼the RSHGA World Heavyweight Championships 💪🏼

14/07/2024

CAITHNESS MYTHS AND LEGENDS Scotland abounds with tales of the selkie, supernatural creatures who swim in the sea as seals and who can shed their skin and walk on land as humans. Not far from the lighthouse, in the 17th century St Trothans Kirk, lies the grave of the Olrig Selkie. The story goes that a local fisherman and his wife were walking along the beach one day when they came across a baby wrapped in a sealskin. They took the baby girl home with them and raised her as their own. She lived her life as a human - perhaps she never knew her true origins as a selkie or perhaps the old couple hid her sealskin so that she could never return to the sea. Whatever the reason, she lived among mankind and sadly died in childbirth. She was buried in St Trothans and a beautiful carved stone was placed on her grave. It is said that this small enclosure remains wet, whatever the weather. To this day, local folk place seashells and flowers on the grave in memory of the selkie.

07/07/2024

At this time of year it never really gets dark in the far north of Scotland. This beautiful summer twilight is known in Shetland as "da simmer dim" and lasts for several weeks either side of the summer solstice. This is the view at midnight looking across the Pentland Firth to the island of Hoy on Orkney.

24/06/2024

27 degrees at the lighthouse today - what a scorcher! 😎

17/06/2024

"No Mow May" plus no mass spraying of weedkiller equals lots of wildflowers at the lighthouse! Pictured are sea pink (Armeria maritima), meadow vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis L.), red campion (Silene dioica), sea campion (Silene maritima) and northern marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella). 💕

19/05/2024

Some photos of last week's aurora. Our favourite has to be the shot of the Seafarers' Memorial in Wick by Paul Steven - a stunning statue in it's own right, now with beautiful rainbow background. 😍

Intense solar activity on Friday evening and then on Saturday led to some spectacular sightings of the Aurora Borealis above Caithness.

05/05/2024

Warm sunny days have led to the emergence of beautiful yellow primroses (Primula vulgaris) all over the hillsides of Caithness. A cheery sign that Spring is definitely here. 🥰

14/04/2024

We got a tiny wee glimpse of last week's partial eclipse as the sun was setting below Dunnet Head. You can also just make out the silhouette of the lighthouse foghorn.

11/04/2024

One of our guests was asking about the best place to view puffins in Caithness. They nest extensively in burrows around the cliffs of Dunnet Head and nearby Duncansby Stacks. We have spotted a few already and they are just coming into their beautiful breeding colours. What an amazing beak - so pretty!

31/03/2024

Happy Easter! After a very rough winter here in Caithness, Spring has finally arrived. View from the lighthouse to Orkney and the Old Man Of Hoy.

17/03/2024

Driving up to the lighthouse on a beautiful sunny day. 💕

27/02/2024

Where were you exactly ten years ago tonight? If you were lucky enough to have been in Caithness you would have witnessed one of the best displays of northern lights ever seen in the county. Check out this amazing video by Caithness Astronomy Group member Maciej Winiarczyk.

On 25th February 2014 Sun produced X4.9 flare which on 27th February caused G2 (KP 6) geomagnetic storm on Earth. It was the brightest aurora display so far ...

02/01/2024

Happy New Year - Bliadhna Mhath Ùr!

2023 was a bumper year for Dunnet Head Lighthouse. We welcomed guests from 18 countries - many returning for a second visit and some for a third! It was so lovely to meet some of you along the way. Thank you for your wonderful reviews and comments in our guest books - they are all greatly appreciated.

Wishing you all a Healthy and Happy 2024!

06/11/2023

There has been intense aurora activity in Caithness these past two nights. We love this fantastic shot of Dunnet Head Lighthouse by local photographer Gavin Bird. 💕

13/09/2023

Conditions were perfect last night for a stunning display of the Merry Dancers (aurora borealis).

01/08/2023

We had a fab day out at Halkirk Highland Games on Saturday. The Lighthouse was proud to sponsor some of the piping events. The piobaireachd was won by Angus MacPhee from Inverness who went on to take the overall title of Champion Piper. Congratulations Angus!

04/06/2023

Lovely wee article about the lighthouse in our local newspaper.

The owner of the lighthouse keeper's cottages at Dunnet Head said she was delighted to host another television production crew last week.

28/05/2023

We were delighted to host a production crew from Caledonia TV at the lighthouse last week - the 6th crew to visit us recently. The team were in Caithness filming an episode of Mach a Seo, a Gaelic travel program for BBC Alba due for transmission later this year.

04/05/2023

There have been lots of fantastic orca sightings in Caithness this past week. Local wildlife photographer Karen Munro has captured some spectacular shots of the pods known as the 12s and 27s as they made their way up the east coast.

Killer whale fans have been treated to multiple sightings on the east coast – including a glimpse of nature in the raw as orcas hunted a porpoise.

21/04/2023

31/03/2023

Bill Gault was there at the end of a 200-year-old tradition of manned lighthouses.

24/03/2023

Last night we were treated to the most amazing aurora display we have ever seen! This fierce geomagnetic storm was caused by solar winds emanating from an Earth-facing coronal hole on the sun. The astonishing display continued all through the night and well into next morning. Check out these beautiful photos from our local newspaper.

Staff at the Pearson Practice in Wick put their photography skills to the test when the Aurora Borealis showed its true colours on Thursday evening.

14/06/2022

More fantastic footage of orca hunting at Brough Bay close to the lighthouse - taken by Steve Truluck.