Duncansby Head Lighthouse, Caithness

Driving north, Scotland seems to never end. On the most north-easterly piece of mainland Britain stands Duncansby Head. With the swirling waters of the Pentland Firth nearly 70 metres below and the jagged cliffs nearby the need for a lighthouse in this remote location can be seen. This small lighthouse with its square tower looks across the Pentland Firth towards Orkney.

While nearby John O’Groats takes all the fame, Duncansby Head is the most north-easterly point of mainland Britain and the sea stacks are one of the most recognisable landmarks in Caithness.

Landscape view of Duncansby Head lighthouse 

History of Duncansby Head Lighthouse

This is one of the newer lighthouses in Scotland. Designed and built by David A Stevenson in 1924 it was designed to guide ships across the Pentland Skerries. Not long after it was built World War Two broke out. On the eve of the invasion of Norway, the lighthouse was machine-gunned by a German bomber. Luckily no damage or injury was caused.

Duncansby Lighthouse and the surrounding cliffs

This lighthouse is relatively small standing just 11 metres high, but on a cliff, 67 metres above the sea below the white light flashing every 12 seconds is easily seen. It is one of the few square towers that the Stevenson family built. The small cottages attached to the light were home to the principal lighthouse keeper and his two assistants. The lighthouse was automated in 1997.

Duncansby Head Lighthouse is not open to the public but can be reached by following the road out to the headland. There is a large car park adjacent to the lighthouse with views across the Pentland Firth to Orkney.

Exploring around Duncansby Head

The lighthouse sits in a dip in on the cliff top. This makes it invisible from the land until you are close by. There is a trig point not far from the lighthouse with views to the sea stacks and towards Orkney. It is an exposed location but there are some lovely easy walks. Just be careful of the cliff edges.

Take care on these cliffs in windy conditions as the winds along this coast can be extremely strong. If you go down onto the foreshore check the tide times to make sure you are not cut off from the steps down. The boulders can be slippery so suitable footwear is essential.

Northern Cliffs

A wide path from the lighthouse leads you past the trig point and over the ridge from where the sea stacks can be seen. This path heads down towards the cliffs where there is a fence. All along this fence are good views south of the sea stacks.

As the path comes to its lowest point there is a small gate which will take you down onto the shoreline which is littered with large boulders. Do take care on the shoreline as seals sometimes haul out here and if you venture from the steps down you need to be aware of the tides.

Southern Cliffs

If you keep walking south for approximately 2km you will come to a curve in the cliffs which is next to the larger cliffs. From here the view north will include all the stacks with the lighthouse in the distance. This is a superb point for viewing the northern lights.

Getting to Duncansby head

Duncansby Head is along a rough road that is found off the A99 in John O’Groats village. The road runs close to the shoreline before ending at the large parking area by the lighthouse.

I'm Suzanne the traveller and photographer behind Meandering Wild. With over 30 years of experience travelling to different corners of the world in search of wildlife and remote locations nearly all of the advice on this website is from my own exploring.