And his message to anyone thinking of applying to fill the vacant post of warden in the most north-western tip of mainland Britain is simple: “Try”. With a closing date of August 31, the Northern Lighthouse Board is advertising for someone to carry out routine inspections and maintenance of the lighthouses at Cape Wrath and Stoer Head, further down the Sutherland coast. A seeker seeking peace or solitude will find it on the desolate peninsula of Cape Wrath, where the lighthouse towers over the rolling Atlantic. Built in 1828 by renowned civil engineer and lighthouse designer Robert Stevenson, the 20-metre tower of whitewashed granite dominates the promontory, which takes its name from the Old Norse hvar, meaning turning point, and was used by the Vikings as a navigation . point for their ships. Map The part-time position requires one eight-hour visit per month to Cape Wrath between April and September and two additional visits, before and after Christmas, along with similar monthly visits to Stoer Head – a total of 184 hours of work per year. The starting salary, pro rata, is £2,043 per annum and the applicant must have a good general education, be physically fit and hold a current, full UK driving licence. Up to 60 applications are expected for the role, with such posts only being offered free of charge every five to 10 years. The Northern Lighthouse Board operates and maintains 208 lighthouses across Scotland and the Isle of Man, guiding mariners safely through coastal waters for over two centuries. All are fully automated, but still require regular inspection and maintenance. Lighthouses are an amazing complex, says Millar. They are generally class A and most are over 200 years old. Considering that along with their exposed positions, it’s “remarkable,” he says, how credible they remain. “Since I started more than 20 years ago, I’ve only had one outing a night,” he says proudly. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Despite increasingly sophisticated on-board navigation systems, the shipping and fishing industries still rely on these fixed points on land. While the beacons are very robustly built, inspections are necessary to detect damage that an automated system cannot. “Occasionally the glass around the light breaks. Sometimes you can feel it shaking in the wind or the doors opening onto the balcony. Once the solar panels on the Ailsa Craig lighthouse blew in a storm,” he said. Millar would encourage anyone to consider the role he realized was “absolutely ideal” when his wife pointed it out to him as he approached his 50s. “Everyone on the team is very supportive and it’s like a big family.” “My day at the office is going on a boat to a beautiful lighthouse. I like to work alone and climb a tower that people have been climbing for 200 years to preserve this tradition.”
