Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse off limits all summer

The Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse will be inaccessible to the public until September, with ongoing maintenance taking place throughout summer.

 

Tourists attempting to visit the attraction last week were disappointed to get all the way to the car park – more than eight miles along a single-track road off the B842 Southend road – before finding the access road fenced off, with a sign reading: “Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse closed to public, sorry for any inconvenience.”

 

The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) apologised for the lack of information and explained that the work was part of an ongoing programme of lighthouse refurbishment and upgrade work.

 

At the Mull of Kintyre, a large part of this work is the entire reconstruction and resurfacing of the road that leads down to the lighthouse, covering the area from the gate at the end of the public road to the lighthouse itself.

 

“As a major aid to navigation, NLB needs to make sure its staff can easily and safely access the lighthouse to carry out maintenance,” said Alastair Rae, project leader for the NLB.

 

“This work will ensure that essential access is maintained for staff. It will also provide safe access for the local community and for the many visitors who walk down the road to the lighthouse every year.”

 

The principal contractor for the project is TRAC Engineering and the work is being carried out by McFadyens Contractors of Campbeltown.

 

NLB expects the work to be completed by the end of August. Until then, all public access is restricted as walking along the road is not be permitted until the works are finished.