Skulferatu #5 - Barns Ness Lighthouse, Dunbar

There are many lovely walks around the coast of East Lothian.  One of these takes you from Dunbar and round to Torness Nuclear Power Station and beyond.  This walk takes you past Barns Ness Lighthouse, which sits just up from the sea on a large expanse of Marram Grass.

Barns Ness Lighthouse

Barns Ness Lighthouse and Cottage

The lighthouse was designed by two of the Lighthouse Stevensons, the brothers David and Charles Stevenson (both cousins of the author Robert Louis Stevenson).  It was constructed between 1899 and 1901 and was manned by two lighthouse keepers until 1966, when it was electrified.   Only a single keeper was then required.  The lighthouse was fully automated in 1986 and after a review of lighthouses, was deactivated in 2005.  It was sold in 2006 and the lighthouse cottage is now a holiday rental.

 

During the Second World War the lighthouse was machine gunned by a passing German plane, however it was not damaged by this.

A view of the lighthouse

I walked out to the lighthouse from Dunbar on a cold and sunny afternoon.  The sky was a pale blue with white and grey clouds skiffing through it, while the sea was a still and calm blue black.  All the colours of winter coming into their own.

Skulferatu #5

Skulferatu left at base of lighthouse tower

I left a Skulferatu at the base of the lighthouse where if faces out to the sea.

Google Map showing location of Skulferatu

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are – 

Latitude 55.987216

Longitude -2.445305.