Name and Location

Hoxa Head Lighthouse is an active coastal light marking the entrance to Scapa Flow from the south-east, located on the island of South Ronaldsay in Orkney, Scotland. Its address is RXC8+P4 Uppertown, Orkney KW17 2TW, United Kingdom. The lighthouse can be found at coordinates 58°49′18.7″ N, 3°02′05.0″ W.

Construction and History

Hoxa Head Lighthouse was built in 1866 during the Victorian era by the Stevenson family of engineers, who were responsible for many 19th-century Scottish lighthouses. The tower is constructed from squared and tooled local sandstone, rendered and painted white; cast-iron lantern roof.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse has a circular tower with a balcony and lantern, with the tower and lantern painted white, railings black. The estimated height of the tower to the balcony is 12–14 meters from base to balcony, while the focal plane is 15 meters above mean high water. The lantern diameter is approximately 3 meters.

Light and Navigation

The lighthouse features a flashing light in sectors every 3 seconds (0.3 seconds flash + 2.7 seconds eclipse). There are white sectors between 026° and 163°, and 201° to 215°, with a nominal range of 9 nautical miles. The red sector is between 163�� and 201°, with a nominal range of 6 nautical miles. The lamp and optic are modern rotating or static lens assembly, powered by mains electricity with battery backup.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse grounds are reachable by a short walk from an unclassified road off the B9045, south of St Margaret's Hope. There is a small layby for parking. However, tower access is closed to the public. On-site facilities are limited, with no visitor centre or guided tours offered.

Notable Views and Landscape

Perched on rugged sandstone cliffs at Hoxa Head, the lighthouse commands panoramic views over the Pentland Firth and the southern entrance to Scapa Flow. On clear days, one can see Hoy and South Walls, the Flotta oil terminal, and vessels entering the historic naval anchorage.

Anecdotes and Folklore

During both World Wars, Scapa Flow's southern approaches were heavily defended; Hoxa Head and nearby Muckle Skerry (Hoy Sound) lighthouses warned naval and merchant vessels of minefields and coastal batteries. Local folklore holds that on stormy nights the flashing light once appeared to dance with the northern lights—"the ghostly waltz of Scapa."

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is fully automated, with a date of automation unconfirmed. It carries Admiralty reference A3610 and is managed by the Northern Lighthouse Board.

Further Information

• For further reading, visit Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoxa_Head_Lighthouse or the Northern Lighthouse Board website at https://www.nlb.org.uk/LighthouseLibrary/Hoxa-Head/.
• The lighthouse can also be found on OpenStreetMap at https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/114146065.