Tod Head Lighthouse

31/07/2026

Here at the lighthouse I love the way that the seabirds mark the changing seasons just as the sunrise moves up and down the horizon. The guillemots and razorbills have left with their young, the kittiwakes are still around as are the house martins who fly in and out of their nests as we stand above them on the outside gallery. Fulmars, herring gulls and the black-backs stay all year round as does a kestrel who once joined me on the balcony as I enjoyed my morning coffee on the balcony. Talking of morning coffee, I was devastated this week when I dropped my favourite mug, gift from my granddaughter Ellie. She had found a wonderful Glasgow designer also called Ellie, a lover of wildlife but also very witty. My mug featured Ellie's ( the designer, not my granddaughter) drawings of 4 flavours of guillemot, namely guillemot, chillemot, hillemot ( complete with a trig point, another passion of miine) and a sillemot. I could not find a replacement on line so I contacted Ellie Stacey via her e-mail , hardly expecting a reply. She promptly got back to me with a link and I was able to get another one which arrived yesterday with a matching coaster. I make no apologies for sharing a link to the wonderful Elliestraitions. https://www.elliestrations.com/birdsandwildlife

21/07/2026

I have the ideal place for this. I hope you will consider contributing to this cause

Help Rohan Beyts raise money to support Brain Tumour Research

20/07/2026

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Catterline Summer Festival 26 – Catterline, Fri 14 Aug 2026 - Sun 16 Aug 2026 - Catterline Summer Festival - 15-17th August 2025 This is a weekend of fun in the beautiful coastal village of ...

20/06/2026

I am privileged to have met many folk who have links to the lighthouse world and regret that I don't make a record their stories when they visit Tod Head. Lots of wonderful anecdotes as well as some tragic tales reminding us that a keepers life and that of their families could be a tough as well as a rewarding one. Do get in touch with this project to share your tales and make sure the memories live on. https://fb.watch/HSl4hUSAX7/

23/05/2026

The Association of Lighthouse Keepers is an excellent organisation that anyone with an interest in Lighthouses can (and should) join. I am just back from an amazing trip organised through Ireland's regional rep, Rosie Drysdale, to the lights of SW Ireland. We gained access to places that are not normally open to the public. We heard first hand accounts from keepers of what it was like to serve as keepers of the lights in all the conditions that living on the edge of the Atlantic can be experienced. It was an absolute honour to be part of this trip. This is a lovely video of the trip put together by Charles Franklyn.

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07/10/2025

A week after Doors Open I had a visit from a delightful mother and daughter, Rosie Bruce and her daughter Nicola McGregor both with extensive lighthouse experiences but first a word Rosie’s husband (see attached obituary) Eric Bruce first appointment with the NLB was as a supernumerary, here at Tod Head. In 1970. It was Rosie who pointed out the advert for the job to her husband. He went on to secure a permanent post travelling around various onshore and off shore lights eventually ending at the Butt of Lewis were Rosie became a relief keeper (how envious am I). In his role as safety officer he travelled to all of the NLB lighthouses (beating HRH Princess Anne to that feat apparently). He was one of the last lighthouse keepers before automation brought this occupation to an end. In1998 Eric died in 2012.
Rosie told me that at the Butt of Lewis they had to complete hourly weather reports for the met office and the Butt of Lewis certainly has a lot of weather. She had lots of stories about life at various stations. When Eric was stationed at the Isle of May, Nicola was born and although born on the mainland Nicola is very proud of the fact that she was the last girl to be born to a keeper there and she has the Isle of May as her place of birth on her birth certificate. Rosie also told me about not meeting Princess Anne as she had a chance to visit an island lighthouse that day. (If memory serves me right she went to the Flannan Islands but I may be wrong). I do hope Nicola will bring Rosie back to Tod Head. She had so many stories and photographs to share and I would like to get some of them written down.

Born: 5 August, 1944. in Linlithgow. Died: 18 February, 2012, in Aberdeen, aged 67

21/09/2025

Where to begin. Yesterday Tod Head opened its doors to 82 people from all over the World (though now living in the UK) and the UK. Myself and my volunteers where both delighted and humbled by the people we met and talked to from first to the last, from the local to the visitor, the youngest to the oldest you were all dead brilliant. I have to admit that on Friday night , after finally having done enough to make the tower (inside) half way decent for visitors and being shattered (i had surgery 3 months ago and lost lots of fitness in the preceding months.) I did think it maybe the last one. Yesterday changed that. You changed that. I was re-energised. My next project over the winter is too share some of the things i learnt about Tod Head with the permission of the people concerned.

07/09/2025

After a break for a few years we are back for Doors Open. on 20th Sept. Booking essential due to limited parking.

Tod Head Lighthouse, located south of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, built in 1897 by David Alan Stevenson, is now a privately owned family home, lovingly restored and reimagined.

03/09/2025

Miserable day but a trip to Sillyflatt Fare, Fields and Gatherings and lunch at the Field Kitchen cheers the body and mind. Congratulations to Ailsa and her team for creating this lovely place.. No picture of the food as its too tasty to hang around.

25/08/2025

Looking forward to another great night of music at The Creel Inn. Saturday night coming