Please visit the individual websites for opening times and further information.
- Children are very welcome, but they must be at least 1 metre in height and physically capable of ascending and descending the staircases by themselves unaided.
- Under no circumstances can children or babies be carried up or down the staircases, (this includes the use of baby carriers, papooses, etc.)
- In many cases lighthouses are over a century old and some stone floors and stairs may be worn and uneven in places, therefore care must be taken.
- Some staircases are also very steep and must be descended facing the stair. The Tour Guide will inform you if this is necessary.
- Hold the handrail when ascending and descending stairs.
- Sensible footwear must be worn if you wish to ascend the lighthouse tower. Open toe sandals without heel straps, flip- flops, high-heeled footwear and bare or stocking feet are not permitted.
- Access to the lighthouse balcony is not permitted.
- NLB regrets that due to the historic design of the building, these premises are not suitable for some physically less able people.
- Anyone suffering from vertigo, heart or respiratory conditions is advised not to undertake the tour. If you have a cardiac pace maker, tell the Tour Guide and do not go within two metres of any operational RADAR.
- You must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs which could impair your judgements
- The Tour Guide will give further advice on the above conditions, but has absolute discretion in preventing access if it is felt that health and safety regulations, or the safety of the visitor, or other members of the public will be compromised
The former keepers’ cottages and outbuildings have been managed by the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust since 1996. They are now operated as a visitor centre, offering the chance to learn more about Scottish lighthouses and the flora and fauna of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Find out more by visiting the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust website.
Covesea Lighthouse is a decommissioned lighthouse and is no longer owned by the Northern Lighthouse Board. The lighthouse, which is situated on the outskirts of Lossiemouth on the Moray Firth Coast, was decommissioned in March 2012. It is owned by the Lossiemouth local community and opened to the general public as a visitor attraction in 2013. As well as guided tours of the lighthouse you can also stay at the lighthouse cottages. Find out more.
Enjoy a guided tour of the lighthouse by Fair Isle Lighthouse Society. Find out more
At the Mull of Galloway you can climb the Lighthouse, visit the Exhibition of Lighthouse History, experience the Vintage Engines and Foghorn, walk around the RSPB Scotland nature reserve and enjoy delicious food and drink at Scotland’s most southerly coffee house. Find out more.
The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses is based at Kinnaird Head, Fraserburgh and tells the story of the Northern Lighthouse Board, the engineers who built the lights and the keepers who tended them. It is the site of the first ever lighthouse established by the Northern Lighthouse Board in 1787.
The former lighthouse, keepers cottages and engine room are preserved for the nation by Historic Environment Scotland and the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses and remain as they were when the last lighthouse keeper left.
The Museum has an on-site cafe and free parking facilities. It was granted autism friendly status in 2018. Find out more.
Enjoy a tour of the lighthouse which can also include the fog horn on the north shore 100 metres from the light. The views at the top can be magnificent overlooking all the Orkney islands to the south, Fair Isle, and Shetland to the north. Find out more.
Visitor Centre Experience at Sumburgh Head Lighthouse – Find out more.