Muckle Skerry is the largest of the Pentland Skerries that lie off the north coast of Scotland. It is home to the Pentland Skerries Lighthouse.

Aerial photograph of Muckle Skerry
Pentland Skerries High Light
Pentland Skerries High and Low Lighthouses
Map
LocationMuckle Skerry
Pentland Skerries
Orkney
Scotland
United Kingdom
Coordinates58°41′25″N 2°55′29″W / 58.690221°N 2.924735°W / 58.690221; -2.924735
Tower
Constructed1794
Built byThomas Smith, Robert Stevenson Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionstone tower
Automated1994
Height36 m (118 ft)
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower, black lantern, ochre trim
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board[1][2]
Light
First lit1820s rebuilt
Focal height52 m (171 ft)
Intensity710,000 candela Edit this on Wikidata
Range23 nmi (43 km)
CharacteristicFl (3) W 30 s

Geography

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Muckle Skerry lies in the Pentland Firth at grid reference ND464782. It is the westernmost of the skerries. At one kilometre (five furlongs) long and rising to an elevation of 20 metres (65 feet) above sea level, it is sizable enough to be considered an island. However, the notoriously bad weather of the firth has historically rendered Muckle Skerry uninhabitable and as such it is more often thought of as a skerry.

Important Bird Area

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The skerry is part of the Pentland Firth Islands Important Bird Area (IBA), so designated by BirdLife International because it supports significant breeding populations of seabirds.[3]

Pentland Skerries Lighthouse

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Pentland Skerries Lighthouse was constructed in 1794 by the Commissioners of the Northern Lights. The engineers were Thomas Smith and his stepson Robert Stevenson (this was the first light that Stevenson officially worked on).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Orkney". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  2. ^ Pentland Skerries Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 26 May 2016
  3. ^ "Pentland Firth Islands". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
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58°41′18″N 2°55′35″W / 58.68824°N 2.92631°W / 58.68824; -2.92631