Duncansby Head Lighthouse John O' Groats Caithness Scottish North East Coast UK
Duncansby Head (58°38′40″N 03°01′28″W / , , grid reference ND405733) is one of the most northerly parts of the Scottish mainland, and is near John o' Groats, Caithness, Highland. The headland juts into the North Sea, with the Pentland Firth to its north and west and the Moray Firth to its south. The point is marked by Duncansby Head Lighthouse. A minor public road leads from John o' Groats to Duncansby Head, which makes Duncansby Head the furthest point by road from Land's End. The tidal streams flowing through the Pentland Firth earned it the title of hell's mouth in the days of sail, and it is still a place where unwary ships can become the plaything of the sea. As the waters of the wide Atlantic flow into the North sea and ebb in the opposite direction, they set in motion a welter of eddies, races and overfalls, and in the neighbourhood of the Pentland Skerries they run at a speed of ten knots. So dramatic are the effects that each of these tide races has been given a name - the Swilkie, the Bore of Huna, the wells of Tuftalie, the Duncansby Bore, and the Merry Men of May. In 1914 during the first World War a temporary fog signal was provided at Duncansby Head close to John O'Groats to be replaced by a permanent fog signal after the war. The traditional round tower has been abandoned and (curved walls require interior fittings made to match) even the concrete lantern tower is square. During the second World War, and on the eve of the invasion of Norway, Duncansby Head Lighthouse was machine-gunned by a German bomber, but fortunately no one was injured and no damage caused. In 1968 a high power racon (radar beacon) was installed. It has now been replaced by a low-power self operating type, which can be particularly useful as a warning where the coastline is not conspicuous on a radar display. Duncansby Head was automated in 1997.
Size: 5380px × 3572px
Location: Duncansby Head Lighthouse John O' Groats Caithness
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 000, ’, 03°, 11, 12, 24, 31, 1924, ’, 58°, 67, 596, alert, automated, beam, board, caithness, candlepower, character, cliffs, currents, david, duncansby, easterly, edinburgh, elevated, elevation, engineer, established, evry, fast, firth, flashing, groats, head, high, high., islands, isles, john, latitude, light, lighthouse, longitude, mainland, metres, miles, nominal, north, northern, operators, orkney, pentland, point, position, race, range, rocks, seconds, secs, shipping, steps, stevenson, structure, tidal, top, tower, uk, warning, white
