The Mull of Galloway – Lighthouse, Cliffs and Seabirds
About 0.8 miles on foot.
The Mull of Galloway is the very bottom of Scotland, a headland of high cliffs at the southern tip of the Rhins, where Robert Stevenson's lighthouse has stood since 1830.
Climb the tower in season, follow the RSPB's cliff-top trail, and on a clear day look out to Ireland, the Isle of Man and Cumbria.
- Time
- About two and a half hours, with the exhibition, the tower in season and the cliff-top trail.
- The path
- A ramp leads into the exhibition and there is an accessible viewing platform by the lighthouse; the tower is 115 steps and the RSPB trail is rolled stone, tarmac, boardwalk and uneven grass.
- Where to start
- The free car park at Gallie Craig, at the end of the road, a short walk below the lighthouse; parking at the lighthouse itself is for staff and cottage guests only.
- Set off
- The car park at Gallie Craig; the last five miles of road are single track with passing places, never to be parked in.
- When to go
- The headland is open all year. The exhibition opens every day, 11am to 5pm, from late March to 1 November; the tower at weekends and in school holidays.
- Dogs
- On a lead, welcome in the exhibition but not in the tower; the RSPB asks for a short lead from 1 April to 15 August and near livestock.
- Children
- Cliff edges all round the headland. Nobody under 1 metre tall may climb the tower, carried babies included, and under-16s need an adult.
- Toilets
- At the RSPB visitor centre in its season, and at Gallie Craig for customers.
- Before you set out
- In 2026 the tower also opens daily for both October half-term weeks, 12 to 18 October and 26 October to 1 November. The tower and exhibition can close early in severe weather. From November to late March the exhibition, the tower and the RSPB visitor centre are shut; the headland and the trail stay open.
The walk
The last five miles of the road are single track, with passing places, and end at the free car park by Gallie Craig; the lighthouse is a short walk up the lane. Its exhibition, in the old engine room and workshop, opens every day from 11am to 5pm from late March to 1 November. The tower itself opens at weekends and through both October half-term weeks, with the last climb at 4.15pm. Entry is by donation, with tickets from the exhibition.
The tower is 115 steps, and nobody under a metre tall may climb it, carried babies included. Round the lighthouse the RSPB's half-mile nature trail follows the cliff top over uneven ground, and its visitor centre, with the toilets, opens until the end of October. Guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes crowd the cliffs in spring and early summer, gannets fish offshore, and if you're lucky porpoises or dolphins pass below. Keep dogs on a lead and everyone well back from the edges, above all in wind or rain.
From November to late March the exhibition and tower are shut, but the headland and its paths stay open. Gallie Craig Coffee House, built into the cliff beside the car park, serves lunch and cakes from 10.30am to 4.30pm, Saturday to Wednesday.
If it rains
The exhibition is indoors, and Gallie Craig's glass front looks out over the cliffs, but the trail and the tower's top are open to the weather. In strong wind keep well back from the edges, or leave the trail for a calmer day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
Gallie Craig, Mull of Galloway, a café.