My name is Sarah Kerr and I’m the author of The British Lighthouse Trail: A Regional Guide. Since 2012 I have been on a mission to visit every lighthouse in the UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands.
I live on the north coast of Scotland (with views of Dunnet Head lighthouse flashing at night) having moved from London in 2013. I live with my husband, Bob, who I met on my 2012 lighthouse tour, and our young son and daughter. I was born and brought up on the Isle of Wight and lived in Weymouth and Southampton during my student years.
Since 2018 I have been the Events Coordinator for the Association of Lighthouse Keepers (ALK). ALK membership is open to anyone with an interest in lighthouses.
Favourite things: lighthouses and the coast, writing, cider in the sunshine, discovering new and beautiful places in the UK.
Favourite lighthouse: The more remote the better. Particular favourites are Sule Skerry, Hyskeir, The Needles…The list is endless.
uklighthousetour 
Hi Sarah!
I love to visit lighthouses in the UK as well!
I can´t explain why but when I am arriving at a lighthouse, my soul trembles. It is such a powerful place!
Thanks for your beautiful blog. I will consider your list when planning my next trips!
Best wishes,
Dani
Hi Dani,
Thanks for your message. It’s always good to hear from likeminded lighthouse fans.
The list on the site was my original list, which was missing a lot and didn’t include lighthouses on islands. The more comprehensive list that I now work with can be found in my book The British Lighthouse Trail: A Regional Guide. There is a page about the book on this site if you were interested in finding out more.
Thanks again for your kind comments and for taking the time to get in touch.
Best wishes,
Sarah
Great site, Sarah! I’ve just read your Oxcars/Inchkeith blog entry. When I lived in Edinburgh in 1981-82 I recall hearing the siren on Inchkeith, and wishing I could visit Oxcars. I was able to get a bit closer to Oxcars in 2018 on the tour boat out of Queensferry. Thanks for your great work:)
Thanks so much Chris! That’s very kind. That must have been great to hear the fog siren. The old foghorn from Inchkeith is currently in the grounds of the National Museum’s large item store in Granton – not quite so noisy now! It’s a shame I came to lighthouses after most of the traditional foghorns had been turned off.
Oxcars is great. It was a wonderful experience to see it at low tide and get onto the rock.
Thanks again Chris for taking the time to comment.
Lighthouses are special and I had the ambition to see all UK lights some day. Had to give it up because of my ever increasing disability. But I am happy someone is doing it and would live to “come with you”
Good luck with the endeavour and have fun!,
Oh and my favourite Lighthouse in the British Isles is St Catherine’s onthe Isle of Wight where my father in law was relief keeper closely followed by the South Stack where my husband was nearly born (his grandfather was keeper there at the time and his pregnant mum had to climb the 432 steps twice to visit)
Keep your light shining
Margret
Hi Margret. Thank you so much for your lovely comment.
I’m sorry you had to give up on your ambition. A friend of mine “takes people with him” in his pocket or rucksack when they are not able to go themselves. I’m happy to do so for you and I’m pleased you’re now following my blog and can keep track of what I’m doing.
Is there anywhere in particular you would have loved to have got to?At Catherine’s is a special one to me too, coming from the Isle of Wight and getting married just up the road from it with our wedding photos taken inside the lighthouse. Such a wonderful place.
Wow, that would have been quite an undertaking for your mother-in-law. It’s tough going even on a good day.
Many thanks Margret.
Sarah
Hi Sarah
My name is Bonar, I’ve been a lighthouse Technician for nearly 8 years now based in Shetland. My dad was a keeper on the Flugga, I stayed at the shore station with mum, so I’m a lighthouse baby.
I’m impressed with the progress
you’ve made. Well worth the effort.
Hope you make it to Fair isle and Foula, they are both great places to stay when we do the maintenance. The weather can make it tricky to get into the islands as I’m sure you know, the ferry is a bit more reliable. If you need info I’d be happy to help.
Thanks
Bonar
Thank you so much for getting in touch Bonar. It’s great to hear from you. You must have some wonderful stories to tell.
Yes, Fair Isle and Foula have now risen higher up my to do list. I cannot wait to get back to Shetland again.
You are living my dream Sarah. I am obsessed with lighthouses and have been since my student days- a while ago now. I love all things Stevenson! I’m heading out to some of the Isles around Mallaig and Mull to catch a few this summer. Some wonderful skippers are already helping with suggestions and that’s what I love about your tour not just the pics but the people you meet along the way too. Some are so difficult to reach but guess that makes it even more memorable. So glad to have stumbled on your blog. Absolutely love it. Didn’t know about your book but now I do I love reading too…..
Thank you so much Tahira. I’m so pleased you found the blog and that you share my passion. It is a fantastic way to explore the country and see some of the most amazing hidden places. Spending time on uninhabited islands in Scotland is probably one of my favourite parts.
Enjoy your time off the west coast this summer and do keep in touch.
Sarah
Sarah, I have been planning a lighthouse tour in the Uk for a couple of years, and feel most fortunate to have discovered your most comprehensive book on all things lighthouse in the Uk. Many thanks 🙏!
I have done extensive lighthouse visiting in the States, just last summer I toured the Great Lakes and added another 140+ to my life list. One thing I found most helpful was that my Navigation App always recognized the name of a particular lighthouse and would direct me there. Will this be the case in Scotland. Wales, and southern England? I sure hope so.
Hope to see you in northern Scotland in late August.
John
Hi John. I just responded to your other comment, but in case you see this one first, you are very likely to be able to find the bigger lighthouses on navigation systems. This will definitely be the case for those open to the public.
Sarah, love the book, I’m planning an 11 day swing counterclockwise from Edinburgh to London at the end of August, after a week at the Fringe.
Last year I did an extensive lighthouse hunt on the Great lakes, found that my Navigation app uduslly took me right to the named lighthouse. Is this going to be the case in the Uk aswell?
That sounds like a brilliant trip you have planned. Lots to cram in those 11 days, I’m sure. I think a lot of the big lighthouses will appear on navigation systems, especially if there are on publicly accessible roads and definitely if they are open to the public.
Hi Sarah, and I didn’t know that there were other lighthouse “baggers”!! I’ve been to all the lights round mainland Scotland, Wales, and Ireland by motorbike, and am hoping to cover England shortly. I’ve even been trying to buy a lighthouse or lighthouse cottage I’m that smitten!! Do you know or can recommend anyone that offers a sailing trip round all the island lights in Scotland – that’s something else I’d love to do? Just bought the book so looking forward to more snippets…
Hello! I’ve recently taken an interest in lighthouses, and would love to go on some some sort of tour where I can see the workings and get the feel of different ones. It’s a real inspiration to see so many people like me who have already seen lots of these amazing buildings over the years, I can’t wait to do the same 🙂 I can go by myself but might be nice to share the experience, any ideas how I can get in touch with a group or something and maybe go see some together? Lorraine
Hi Lorraine. Great to hear from you!
I would highly recommend joining the Association of Lighthouse Keepers: https://alk.org.uk
I’m their events coordinator and we run a range of U.K.-based events throughout the year. We also can sometimes arrange internal access to lighthouses that aren’t open to the public. Have a look at the website, but if you have any questions you can just email events@alk.org.uk and that will come straight to me 🙂