Duncansby Head

Duncansby Head Lighthouse

Duncansby Head (Coordinates: 58°38′40″N 03°01′28″W / 58.64444°N 3.02444°W / 58.64444; -3.02444Grid reference ND405733) (Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Dhunngain[1] or Dùn Gasbaith[2]) is the most north-easterly part of the Scottish mainland, including even the famous John o' Groats, Caithness, Highland.[3] The headland juts into the North Sea, with the Pentland Firth to its north and west and the Moray Firth to its south.

The point is marked by Duncansby Head Lighthouse, built by David Alan Stevenson in 1924.[4]

A minor public road leads from John o' Groats to Duncansby Head, which makes Duncansby Head the farthest point by road from Land's End.

Duncansby Stacks, rock pinnacles to the immediate south of Duncansby Head

The Duncansby Head Site of Special Scientific Interest includes the 6.5 km stretch of coast south to Skirza Head. It includes the Duncansby Stacks, prominent sea stacks just off the coast.[5]

References

  1. Gaelic and Norse in the Landscape: Placenames in Caithness and Sutherland. Scottish National Heritage.
  2. http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Gaelic/placenamesC-E.pdf
  3. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1862). Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 3. Neill and Company. p. 499.
  4. "Duncansby Head Lighthouse". The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  5. SSSI citation


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