Name and Location

Out Skerries Lighthouse, also referred to as "Bound Skerry" or "Out Skerries Light", stands on Bound Skerry, the outermost rock of the Out Skerries group in Shetland Islands, Scotland. The lighthouse's address (Plus Code) is 9CGXC7FC+QV and its coordinates are Latitude 60°25′28.0″ N, Longitude 0°43′40.0″ W.

Construction and History

Out Skerries Lighthouse was commissioned by the Northern Lighthouse Board and constructed in 1857. It was designed by the Stevenson brothers (David and Thomas Stevenson) under commission from the Northern Lighthouse Board as part of a wave of Shetland lights established to reduce shipwrecks off the east coast.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is a tapering cylindrical tower with a balcony and lantern, constructed using local granite masonry. The exterior finish is white painted tower with a black lantern roof. The height of the tower is approximately 23 meters (75 feet) above base, and the focal plane (light height above mean high water) is 44 meters (144 feet).

Light and Navigation

The lighthouse's characteristic is Fl W 20s, which means one white flash every 20 seconds, with a nominal range of 20 nautical miles. The light color is white, and it has been automated since 1974.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse itself is not open to the public, but shore landings are possible by private boat only in calm conditions. Visitors can reach Out Skerries from the Shetland Mainland by sailing to the island group and then landing at Grunay or Houss. However, Bound Skerry landfall is exposed, requiring care and local pilotage.

Notable Views and Landscape

Bound Skerry lies in a rugged, windswept archipelago, with only hardy lichen and grass supporting life on the low-lying rock. The light's beam sweeps over shipping lanes entering the North Sea from the Pentland Firth, providing a unique vantage point for seabirds, including gannets and puffins, which nest on nearby skerries.

Anecdotes and Folklore

• In the past, keeper rotations lasted six weeks on and six weeks off, with families transported by steamer from Lerwick. Foggy autumns often trapped relief boats offshore for days, requiring rationing of supplies and morale-boosting whale-bone carvings.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is currently monitored remotely from the Northern Lighthouse Board headquarters in Edinburgh.

Further Information

For more information, see the Northern Lighthouse Board's website or consult various sources such as "Lights of Shetland" by R.W. Allan (1999) or the NGA List of Lights, Pub. 114 (2011–05–26).