Girdle Ness lighthouse


Tower: Height: 37 metres, white conical tower, 182 steps to top of tower

Elevation: 56 metres

Range: 2 white flashes every 20 seconds, visible for 22 miles

built 1833 by Robert Stevenson

Date automated: 1991

The fog horn, known as the "Torry Coo", was put into operation when visibility fell below 5 miles and was discontinued in 1987.

Current use: active aid to navigation

The lighthouse is a building of architectural/historic interest.

Some facts:

The lighthouse originally had 2 lights, one, as usual, at the top of the tower and another one about one third of the way up. The lower light consisted of 13 lamps and reflectors built round the outside of the tower and was discontinued in 1890.

In the event of a Main Optic failure, a single emergency lantern with a range of 10 miles is automatically selected.

There is also a Racon (RAdar beaCON) installed at this site.
A Racon is a type of radar transponder commonly used to mark maritime navigational hazards. When a racon receives a radar pulse, it responds with a signal on the same frequency which leaves an image on the radar display, like a Morse Character

Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS)

Girdle Ness is one of 3 Scottish ground-based reference stations providing DGPS (a satellite based navigation system) transmissions around the coast. The other 2 stations are Butt of Lewis and Sumburgh Head.