Name and Location

The Sumburgh Head Lighthouse is situated at Sumburgh Head, Virkie, Shetland Islands, Scotland, with coordinates 59.8540763° N, -1.2748792° W. Its official name is Sumburgh Head Lighthouse, and it holds the seamark reference A 3766.

2. Construction and History

The lighthouse was constructed in the early 19th century, first illuminated in 1821. It has a Category A listed building status with Historic Environment Scotland. The lighthouse was converted to automatic operation in 1991, marking an end to resident keepers.

3. Architecture and Materials

The Sumburgh Head Lighthouse is a masonry tower with a white-painted cylindrical shape and a black lantern. It stands at a focal height of 91 meters above mean sea level.

4. Light and Navigation

The lighthouse emits a group of three white flashes every 30 seconds, characterized as Fl (3) W .30s; sequence timing is 0.4 s flash, 2.1 s dark, 0.4 s flash, 2.1 s dark, 0.4 s flash, and 24.6 s dark.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse is open to visitors, managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust. Visitors can reach it by road from Lerwick via the A970, followed by a minor road to Sumburgh Head. The site features a small visitor centre and café in former keepers' cottages, with interpretive displays on local wildlife and maritime history.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse sits atop a basalt headland at the southern tip of Mainland, Shetland Islands. It offers panoramic views over the Atlantic to Fair Isle and South Mainland coasts, as well as dramatic cliffs and seabird colonies (gannets, puffins, skuas) on adjacent Hermaness National Nature Reserve.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Local tales describe ghostly keepers' dogs haunting the foggy headland. The lighthouse also has a wartime observation post established during World War II, with remnants of former installations still visible.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The Northern Lighthouse Board manages the lighthouse, which remains an active major light for Southern Shetland traffic lanes. Radar or additional aids beyond AIS/DGPS are not present on site.

9. Further Information

For more information, visit the Northern Lighthouse Board (https://www.nlb.org.uk/lighthouses/sumburgh-head/), Historic Environment Scotland listing, Shetland Amenity Trust visitor information, and Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals volume for Scotland and Northern Ireland.