Carraig Fhada is a tidal rock located at the south end of Kilnaughton Bay on the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides. It is a mile south west of the harbour at Port Ellen.
In 1832 a tower was built on the rock by Walter Frederick Campbell, in memory of his wife Lady Ellinor Campbell (née Charteris), who died in 1832 aged 36. The town of Port Ellen is named after her. There is a large plaque above the main door on the west side of the tower. There is a poem on it, written by Walter Frederick Campbell as a tribute to his late wife.
The tower, which was built by David Hamilton, was used as a lighthouse from 1853, but didn't come under the control of the Northern Lighthouse Board until 1924. The light is displayed from a mast on top of the tower.
The lighthouse is very usual, as it has a stepped L-plan form. The main tower is square with a smaller and shorter square tower attached to it, which contains the staircase. The main tower has 3 storeys and a parapet at the top.
Carraig Fhada can usually be reached easily at low tide via a concrete walkway with a metal bridge section about halfway along it. However, when I visited in June 2025 the bridge was usuable, as it had no floor and was roped off. As it was low tide, I was able to scramble across the seaweed covered rocks underneath the bridge and access the island that way.
Beautiful photos! Thank you so much for sharing your journey. Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada.
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