Turnberry Lighthouse, Scotland

This summer, my husband and I were able to check a box on our bucket list and travel to the United Kingdom. One of the highlights of our trip was being able to see lighthouses in Scotland. Like in the United States, these lighthouse properties are managed or owned by different entities. Some are private homes, and some are small hotels, so access to them is closed or minimal.

But if the lighthouse itself is still operating as an active aid to navigation, it is managed by the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Unlike the United States, the lighthouses in Scotland have similar appearances, white stucco with gold trim and a white stucco wall around the property. And the settings were fabulous. The lighthouses we saw were set on cliffs facing the Irish Sea. But despite the similarities, each had distinctive characteristics as well.

 

The first lighthouse we visited was Turnberry Lighthouse which happens to be set between the 9th and 10th holes of the Turnberry Golf Club. Of course, the lighthouse designed by David and Thomas Stevenson built in 1873, was there before the golf course. But way back before that, it was the location of the castle of Robert the Bruce, the king of Scotland in the 1300’s. And in World War II, it was the site of a Royal Air Force landing strip.

 

 

 

In 2014, Donald Trump bought the golf course and began a massive renovation. When he heard the Turnberry Lighthouse was also for sale, he bought it too and renovated it, so that now there is a snack bar for golfers at its base and also offers a luxurious two-bedroom suite for overnight guests. However, the light which is managed by the Northern Lighthouse Board, is still an active aid to navigation with a light that shines 28 miles out to sea.

Turnberry guest suite

 

 

Isn’t it interesting that with all the changes that have taken place in and around the lighthouse, it still serves the original purpose for which it was built? To shine its light.

 

 

 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16