Overview
Explore a fine castle turned lighthouse. Built for the Fraser family in the 1500s, Kinnaird Head was altered in 1787 to contain the first lighthouse built by the Northern Lighthouse Board.
The Kinnaird Head site is managed independently by the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses and Historic Scotland members do not presently receive free entry to the site.
The lantern is still in working order and the lighthouse remains much as its last crew left it. A small, unmanned light nearby now fulfils the role of beacon, however.
What to see and do
- Enjoy a good climb to the top of Stevenson’s spiral staircase
- Stand beside the lantern and stare out at the rocky coastline and stormy North Sea over which it served as a beacon
- Look into the silvered copper parabolic bowls of the lantern, once lit by burning oil from the head of the sperm whale
- Take a short walk to The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses to discover the secrets of Scotland’s lighthouses
