In his quest to draw his way around the UK’s lighthouses, Ben Langworthy reaches the most westerly point of the mainland — and the only ‘Egyptian’ style lighthouse anywhere in the world.

Ardnamurchan Point is the most westerly point of the UK mainland. There are many arguments about where this remote place gained its somewhat peculiar name. Some say it refers to its infamy as an area favoured by wreckers and pirates, while others claim it was named after the sea otters that frequent its waters.

Whatever the truth may be, this is certainly a place steeped in history and folklore. Local legends tell of premonitions, kings and great battles — tales perhaps not quite as fanciful as they first appear. In 2011 archaeologists uncovered an incredibly well preserved Viking boat burial nearby. Complete with axe, sword and jewellery, the find is thought to be over 1000 years old.

While mariners have been navigating their way to this isolated piece of Scotland for centuries, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that a beacon was installed to help warn against its hidden perils.

Ardnamurchan Lighthouse is not only mainland Britain’s most westerly, it is also the only lighthouse built in an ‘Egyptian’ style to be found anywhere in the world. It was designed by Alan Stevenson (one of the great dynasty of Scottish lighthouse engineers) and was first lit in 1849. It is still in use to this day.

Although the light was automated in 1988, you can still find people (and a cuppa) on the site, as the former keepers’ cottages are now open to the public.