Situated on Britain's most westerly point is the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, which looks across the water to the islands of Mull to the south and Eigg, Rum and more distant Skye to its north. It is a 45 mile drive from the Corran ferry to reach the lighthouse and approximately 30 of those are on narrow single track roads.

The reward on reaching the end of the road is worth all the effort though. Ardnamurchan Point is a wild, lonely, and stunningly beautiful place offering superb views of many nearby islands. On approaching the lighthouse you are met by a set of traffic lights, the road narrows at this point and after a short journey around several twisty bends you drive through some stone gate posts and the  Ardnamurchan Lighthouse is in front of you.

The lighthouse first came into operation on the 5 October 1849. It was designed by Alan Stevenson, one of the Stevenson family of lighthouse engineers who between them were responsible for building 97 lighthouses in Scotland (and the Isle of Man) between 1799 and 1939. Alan was one of three brothers who followed their father and step-grandfather into the business, and he was the uncle of the most famous member of the family, and the one who, perhaps ironically, did not become an engineer: Robert Louis Stevenson.

The Ardnamurchan Lighthouse took three years to build, using pinkish granite quarried on the island of Erraid, off the tip of Mull.  Stevenson lighthouses have a certain family resemblance, but the buildings constructed at the foot of the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse had a more overtly Egyptian style than most. The lighthouse itself was not painted and retained the natural grey-pink colour of its granite.

The lighthouse was manned by two lightkeepers, who supplemented their income, and their food supply, by keeping cows and sheep on the surrounding site. Being on a very exposed sight on January 22nd 1852, the lighthouse was hit by a severe storm. The lightning caused minor damage to the tower itself, while high seas sweeping across the promontory smashed the keepers' boat and washed away lengths of boundary wall and access road. 

It wasn’t until 1988 that the lighthouse became automated, and since 1996 the other buildings on the site have been in the care of the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust with several being converted to holiday lets.

The visitors' car park is next to the old stable block, now converted to house the reception for the lighthouse visitor centre plus a cafe and shop. The cafe has outdoor seating for those wanting to enjoy the views to the beach and bay to the south, but rest assured that it also has indoor seating for less glorious weather. 

Ardnamurchan Lighthouse itself stands 36m high, and its top is 55m above sea level. Getting to the top requires climbing 152 steps, plus two ladders: the first to reach the room with the controls and access to the outside balcony, and the second to reach the light room itself. The views from the top are magnificent, and best appreciated from the balcony, though access to this is weather dependent. The island of Rum is particularly prominent to the north, with Skye beyond it, but the views extend, on a clear day at least, to Barra, 50 miles to the north west.