Sule Skerry Lighthouse

Sule Skerry Lighthouse stands on a lonely rock in the North Atlantic, roughly 60 km west of Mainland, the main island of Orkney, Scotland. From its opening until automation, it was the most remote manned lighthouse in Great Britain. Today it runs itself and is not a place you can simply turn up at. It is still worth knowing about, as it combines Scottish lighthouse engineering with one of the country's key seabird colonies.

How do you get to Sule Skerry?

There is no scheduled transport and no visitor infrastructure. The Northern Lighthouse Board operates the light, and the skerry is a protected nature site, so landing without permission is not an option. Open-ocean sea conditions are often rough. The nearest mainland base is Stromness, where the keepers' families lived from 1895. The lighthouse cannot be seen from land, so most people meet it through stories, photographs and local reporting.

Who built the lighthouse, and when?

Plans were drawn up in 1891 by David and Charles Stevenson of the famous Scottish lighthouse-engineering family. Construction began in May 1892 and the light was first shown in 1895. Records such as Canmore differ on completion details, but agree on the lighting date. The lantern originally held a large hyper-radial optic, later replaced by a fourth-order lens. It used a prism arrangement invented by Charles Stevenson.

What was life like for the keepers?

Keepers lived on the rock and were supplied by the vessel Pole Star on monthly runs. In 1973 helicopters took over, with visits every two weeks. The station was automated in December 1982. It has been unwatched since then, and its equipment is monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board headquarters in Edinburgh.

What wildlife lives on Sule Skerry?

The skerry and neighbouring Sule Stack form a Special Protection Area designated for seabirds. NatureScot's citation lists about 46,900 pairs of Atlantic puffin, about 5,900 pairs of northern gannet and 500 to 5,000 pairs of European storm petrel. Common guillemot (around 6,300 birds) and shag (about 874 pairs) are also nationally important. Altogether the site regularly supports more than 20,000 seabirds. The Sule Skerry Ringing Group has monitored the colonies since 1975.

When is the best time to learn about this place?

Breeding seabirds occupy the skerry in spring and summer, and puffins leave the colonies in late summer. Visitors to Orkney in that season can combine the story of Sule Skerry with boat trips and visits to other lighthouses in the region.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Sule Skerry Lighthouse?

There are no regular visits. The skerry is remote, hard to reach and protected for its birds, and the lighthouse remains an operational site.

Does anyone still live at the lighthouse?

No. It has been automatic since December 1982 and is monitored from Edinburgh.

Where is Sule Skerry?

About 60 km west of Orkney Mainland, off the north-west coast of Scotland, in the open Atlantic.

Which birds nest there?

Puffins and gannets are the most numerous. Storm petrels, guillemots and shags also nest there.