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A white lighthouse with a yellow lantern room stands reflected in a still pool, a footbridge and seaweed-covered rocks visible at its base.
Isle of Mull

Rubha nan Gall Lighthouse

The Stevensons' lighthouse of 1857 at Stranger's Point north of Tobermory, reached by a woodland path from the town.

Welcome

Rubha nan Gall lighthouse stands on a rocky point just north of Tobermory, marking the northern entrance to the Sound of Mull and the way into Tobermory Bay; the name means Stranger's Point.

It was built in 1857 by David and Thomas Stevenson, a small white tower with a yellow lantern, reached by a little footbridge over the rocks, and it was first lit on 10 November that year. Keepers tended it for over a century until it was automated in 1960, and the Northern Lighthouse Board still runs the light.

A woodland path runs out from the harbour along the shore, with views over the water to Ardnamurchan, and ends at the lighthouse gate, a good place to watch for otters. The way back is the same path, or a rougher one along the hillside and round the golf course.

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Before you go

The walk starts from the Ledaig car park in Tobermory, with free parking and toilets, and follows a woodland path from the harbour.

It is 5.5km and about two hours for the circuit; the path out to the lighthouse is excellent, the higher return rough and muddy in places.

Getting there
CalMac ferry: Oban to Craignure (50 minutes), Lochaline to Fishnish, or Kilchoan to Tobermory.
Start
Ledaig car park, Tobermory.
Walk
5.5km circuit, about 2 hours.
Path
Good out; rougher high return.

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Did you know

A white lighthouse with a yellow lantern room stands reflected in a rust-coloured tidal pool, hills fading into the distance.
Did you know

Stranger's Point.

Rubha nan Gall means Stranger's Point in Gaelic.

A white lighthouse stands on a rocky point, calm sea and hazy hills stretching beyond it in the misty morning light.
Did you know

The Stevensons' light.

David Stevenson recommended a small light near Tobermory in 1853, and he and his brother Thomas built it in 1857.

A white lighthouse with a yellow lantern room rises above a seaweed-covered rocky shore, a footbridge visible at its base.
Did you know

A century of keepers.

First lit on 10 November 1857, the light was tended by keepers for more than a hundred years until it was automated in 1960.

A white lighthouse stands on a rocky point above calm water, misty cliffs and a small headland stretching along the shore.
Did you know

Slate by boat.

When the keepers' cottages were restored, eighteen tonnes of slate and scaffold came by boat and were carried up from the beach by hand.

A white lighthouse stands reflected in a shallow rock pool, a footbridge and seaweed-covered rocks visible on the shore beside it.
Did you know

Otters at the gate.

The lighthouse gate, at the end of the path, is a good spot to watch for otters.

An aerial view shows a white lighthouse on a rocky point beside a house, misty cliffs rising along the shore and calm sea stretching beyond.
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Where it is

Rubha nan Gall, north of Tobermory, Isle of Mull.

Close byNorth of Tobermory.
  1. TobermoryTobermoryMull's main town, a planned fishing port of 1788 whose painted houses curve round a sheltered bay on the Sound of Mull.Under a mile 3 min by road
  2. Diners at a table by the bright windows of Café Fish, painted fish on the walls.Café FishA seafood restaurant on the upper floor of Tobermory's pier, fed daily by its own fishing boat, the Highlander.Under a mile 3 min by road
  3. The blue front of Brown's on Tobermory's Main Street, a rally car parked outside.Brown's TobermoryA long-established family shop on Tobermory's Main Street selling hardware, kitchenware, wines and malt whisky.Under a mile 3 min by road
  4. The blue front of the Hebridean Whale Centre on Tobermory's Main Street.Hebridean Whale CentreThe Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust's free centre on Tobermory's harbour front, with exhibitions, sightings and talks.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. A man serving a customer at the hatch of the Fisherman's Pier trailer, the chalkboard menu beside it.Fisherman’s Pier Fish and ChipsA silver fish and chip trailer on Tobermory's harbour front, open every day from noon to 8pm.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. Inside The Galleon: white walls, a high ceiling with a round window, tables and a staircase.The GalleonA family-run bistro up the brae from Tobermory's Main Street, with menus that change with the island's larder.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
The green 'Tobermory Stores' sign over the shop window, a painted mural below.ShoppingTobermory Stores1.0 miles
A main course at An Cala Ciùin in Tobermory, with asparagus, a potato, a small tart topped with wild garlic flowers and a dark sauce on a grey stone plate.RestaurantsAn Cala Ciùin1.0 miles
The whitewashed front of the Tobermory Distillery visitor centre, painted with the year 1798 and bottles.ToursTobermory distillery1.1 miles
ShoppingIsle of Mull Cheese, Sgriob-ruadh1.5 miles
A tall waterfall pouring over dark rock in Aros Park, a burn tumbling through boulders below among trees.AttractionsAros Park Waterfalls2.2 miles
Inside the Glass Barn: tables under a glass roof covered in a green vine, the fields beyond the windows.CafeThe Glass Barn4.8 miles
The dining room at Ar Bòrd in Dervaig, a table laid for dinner on a herringbone rug, with a pine dresser, a bookcase and windows looking out on green fields.RestaurantsAr Bòrd5.5 miles
AttractionsLoch Torr Wildlife Hide5.5 miles
Dùn Ara's crag across a green field, the sea and hills beyond under a blue sky.AttractionsDùn Ara5.9 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the lighthouse, and when each is next free.

The house's gabled wing with a decked terrace and two chairs, solar panels along the roof, seen across a grassy slope.Borradill House
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Glenborrodale
  • 7 miles from Rubha nan Gall
Free 22–25 NovBorradill Cottage, ArdnamurchanBorradill Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Glenborrodale
  • 7 miles from Rubha nan Gall
Free 15–18 NovGlenhurich Lodge, white-harled with dormer windows, at the end of its track behind a beech hedge, snow on the hills beyond.Glenhurich Lodge
  • Sleeps 11
  • In Glenhurich
  • 19 miles from Rubha nan Gall
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay on MullAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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