Local Treasures: Butt of Lewis Lighthouse

The Butt of Lewis lighthouse is at the northernmost tip of the Isle of Lewis. The lighthouse is surrounded by giant cliffs which house hundreds (thousands?) of seabirds and have spectacular views.

VisitOuterHebrides.co.uk has a downloadable walking map (Outer Hebrides Walking Map #7). This walk is 3.5 miles (5.5 km) as listed on the map, but if you are walking from The Decca, you can expect to add (roughly) an additional mile or so, as the “official” beginning of the walk is in the car park at Eoropie Dunes play park.

Parking & Accessibility

There are parking spaces near the lighthouse. The area is mostly flat (comparatively), but the ground is uneven and often muddy. (No toilets.)

Safety Information

There are very high cliffs at the Butt of Lewis without safety railings. Take caution — especially on windy days — stay back from the edges (these do not have safety barriers), and keep children under close supervision (while we do NOT accept pets at the Decca, this advice goes for them too, and please ALWAYS keep pets on a leash on the island — there are too many local stories of dogs worrying sheep and attacking chickens). This is what the RNLI has to say about maintaining safety while walking these beautiful coastlines.

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