A lighthouse is a tower-like structure that emits light to provide navigation aid to sailors. They alert sailors about rocks, reefs, and other possible hazards in the water that could damage the vessel.

Behind this slender structure is a systematic functioning of several components that make this beacon what it is. In earlier days lighthouses were controlled fires on hilltops to warn vessels approaching land. The very basis of a lighthouse changed with the invention of the Fresnel Lens which Augustin-Jean Fresnel invented. Fresnel Lens was an effective way to gather light and focus it which helped lighthouses reach further into the sea. Today, lighthouses are highly automated structures that flash bright lights that can reach vessels up to about 20 nautical miles away. Large lighthouses have multiple lights i.e. the main, the reserve, and the emergency.  Some lighthouses also host electronic Aid for Navigation such as Racon (Radio Beacon) and AIS (Automatic Identification System).

A peninsular country like Scotland has over 200 lighthouses to ensure operational coverage along its entire perimeter. Despite the large number almost all of Scotland’s lighthouses were built by Robert Stevenson and his family in four generations, starting from his stepfather Thomas Smith. Some lighthouses are located away from the mainland on smaller islands such as The Pladda Lighthouse, named after its island. Being a lightkeeper was never really an easy thing, during World War II several attacks took place in these lighthouses, some (Fair Isle South) endured devastating airstrikes, while others (Sule Skerry),  were subjected to bombing raids.

Many of these lighthouses today are open to tourists; some even let tourists stay in them. Today, most of Scotland’s Lighthouses are operated and maintained by the Northern Lighthouse Board  (NLB).