Lighthouse on Lewis Island, Scotland

Did you know that today is "National Lighthouse Day"?  

What is it about lighthouses that fire our imaginations?  The romance overshadows the reality of the hard lives of lighthouse keepers.

On our trip to Scotland a few years ago, we traveled to the northern most point of Lewis Island.  It is know as The Butt of Lewis or Rubha Robhanais in the Scots Gaelic.  It is wild and stormy with strong winds on the mildest of days.  In fact, it is considered the windiest place in the UK.

So here stands the Butt of Lewis lighthouse.  It was built in the 1862 to protect the ships rounding this point of land.  It used to have 3 keepers and their families living here.  It was automated in 1998.

It is built from unpainted red brick with gold yellow trim around the windows and edges.  It is 121 feet tall with 168 steps in the stairs to the top.  (It is closed to the public).

The light from this lens can be seen 25 miles away!

Looking out into the North Sea.

A small fishing boat heading in from its day.

These cliffs are 60 to 80 feet tall.

And those cliffs are still forming!

Casting a big shadow.

That night this was the view from the window of our B&B... tho several miles to the north, every 20 seconds our room brightened a wee bit all through the night.  It made me smile to know I was being lulled to sleep by the lighthouse.