The United Kingdom (officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, the kingdom of Scotland has shared its monarch with England since 1603 and has been part of the United Kingdom since 1707. The coastline of the country is deeply cut by inlets, and there are more than 790 islands. The country has a long and distingushed maritime history; many of the most famous British captains and navigators have been Scots. Scotland was divided historically into 34 counties; the counties no longer have any administrative function although they continue to have cultural significance. Most of them survive as lieutenancy areas, the areas used for the ceremonial lord-lieutenants, the monarch's representatives. Since 1996 the country has been divided into 32 council areas for the purposes of local government. This page covers lighthouses of the Argyll and Bute Council Area in western Scotland. This council area includes the southern half of the Inner Hebrides islands plus a large section of the mainland, notably the Kintyre and Cowal peninsulas. This includes nearly all of the historic county of Argyll plus the Isle of Bute from the historic County of Bute and the Helensburgh area of the historic county of Dunbartonshire. The Northern Lighthouse Board Most Scottish lighthouses are accessible by road or hiking trail, but only a few are open for climbing. Travelers in this region, especially the western part, will find Scottish Gaelic in frequent use. The Scottish Gaelic phrase for a lighthouse is taigh solais; eilean is an island, sgeir is a skerry or rock, kyle is a strait, and rubha or àird is a cape or promontory. The word loch is used both for lakes and for inlets of the sea; a firth is a larger bay or strait. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from Volume A of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 114.
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![]() Toward Point Light, Innellan, June 2018 GGoogle Maps photo by Tim Bates |
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![]() Rubh an Duin Light, Port Charlotte, Islay, July 2004 Geograph Creative Commons photo by Dorcas Sinclair |
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![]() Rubha nan Gall Light, Tobermory, April 2014 photo copyright Michael Ellison; used by permission |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Highland Council Area | South: Southwestern Scotland | West: Western Isles
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted October 19, 2004. Checked and revised July 8, 2023. Lighthouses: 37. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.