A guiding light for almost 200 years.

Another cracking day, warm and with wall to wall blue skies. We headed north to the fishing village of Boddam where we enjoyed an excellent lunch with Mrs T's bridesmaid and her husband. The restaurant sits within the remains of the former RAF camp which provided radar cover over the North Sea. The radar is still operational, watching out for aerial threats from the East, but it is now remotely operated from elsewhere.

Much more picturesque is the Buchan Ness lighthouse built in 1827. The lighthouse has lived through some interesting times. During the Second World War, a drifting sea-mine washed ashore and exploded 50 yards south of the station. No one was injured but 3 lantern panes  and 12 other glass panes were cracked or broken in the tower, engine room and dwelling houses. Part of the ceilings of the kitchen and one bedroom of the 1st Assistant's house were brought down and the locks, hinges and bolts of 4 doors were damaged. Like the radar the lighthouse is now automated and is remotely monitored from Northern Lighthouse  Board’s headquarters in Edinburgh.