Fidra Lighthouse

Fidra Lighthouse is a white tower built in 1885 on the rocky island of Fidra in the Firth of Forth, off the East Lothian coast near Dirleton. The island sits about 4 km west-north-west of North Berwick and under 3 km north of Dirleton. You cannot walk onto it, but it is easy to see from Yellowcraig beach, roughly 300 m away across the water.

Who built the lighthouse, and when?

The light was first shown in 1885, to a design by Thomas and David A. Stevenson, members of the Scottish engineering family behind many of the country's coastal lights. The round tower stands about 17 m tall and is painted white, with the lamp at roughly 34 m above sea level. A two-storey block of keepers' cottages stands beside it.

The Northern Lighthouse Board ran the station for decades, and keepers lived here with their families. Around 1970 the light went over to automatic, unmanned operation, which Canmore records as the Board's first such conversion. The buildings are protected as a Category C listed building in Scotland.

Why does the island matter for wildlife?

Fidra is now an RSPB Scotland nature reserve; the society bought the island, excluding the lighthouse buildings, in 1989. Its best-known residents are puffins. Scrub had choked the burrow entrances, and by the mid-1990s only about 400 burrows were occupied. After RSPB staff and volunteers cleared the vegetation, the count rose above 1,000. Other seabirds nest here too.

Is this the island behind Treasure Island?

Local tradition says the shape of Fidra inspired the map in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. The writer came from the lighthouse-building family, and the island also appears in his novel Catriona. Unst in Shetland makes a rival claim, so treat it as a good story rather than established fact.

How can you see Fidra?

• From the shore: Yellowcraig beach and its surrounding park give the best view, about 3 km from Dirleton off the A198.
• From North Berwick: the Scottish Seabird Centre has telescopes and cameras trained on the puffin colony.
• From the water: boat trips on the Firth of Forth bring you close without landing.
• When: puffins are on the island in spring and summer, roughly April to early August.

The island is not open to visitors for landing, since it is a breeding reserve with lighthouse property on it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I visit Fidra island? Not as an ordinary visitor. It is an RSPB reserve and landing needs arrangement with the island's managers. View it from Yellowcraig or from a boat.

When was Fidra Lighthouse built? The light was first shown in 1885, designed by Thomas and David A. Stevenson.

Will I see puffins? Yes, from spring to early summer. Bring binoculars for the shore view, or use the equipment at the Seabird Centre in North Berwick.

How do I get to Yellowcraig? Drive from Dirleton along the signed road to the beach (about 3 km), then walk a short way through the dunes to the shore.