Lighthouse Beacons from Scotland
Hyskeir Lighthouse
Hyskeir lighthouse is located on rocks approximately 5 miles south west of Canna and 8 miles west of the island of Rum, on the low-lying ten acre island of Hyskeir in the Inner Hebrides. (Graphic here by Graham Weeks via Wikimedia Commons). It was built in 1904 with engineer David A Stevenson as the designer. The tower is 120 feet tall and has a nominal range of 24 nautical miles.
Hyskeir Lighthouse was established in 1904. The 39 metres (128 ft) metre high lighthouse marks the southern end of the Minch, warning of the presence of the Mills Rocks, Canna and Hyskeir itself. It was designed by David and Charles Stevenson. The graphic on the left is by Alastair Seagroatt, via Wikimedia Commons.
The families of the Hyskeir lightkeepers lived in Oban and latterly the keepers were taken out from there by helicopter for their month of duty. In 1974, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland visited Hyskeir by helicopter.
The white tower was manned until March 1997, becoming one of the last lighthouses in Scotland to be automated. The keepers were briefly known for their one-hole golf course which gained some fame following their appearance on TV. Now controlled by the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh, it displays three white flashes every thirty seconds.
The light was fully automated in March 1997 - so nobody plays golf on the island any more!
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