An Ceann Àrd – Kinnaird Head
O chionn greis mhath sgrìobh mi an seo mu Thaigh-solais Rubha an Tairbeirt agus na “Lighthouse Stevensons” (https://www.seaboardgaidhlig.com/2015/04/04/2015-an-giblean-rubha-an-tairbeirt-apr-tarbat-ness/) agus am bliadhna fhèin mu Grace Darling agus Taigh-solais Longstone (https://www.seaboardgaidhlig.com/2023/08/30/2023-an-t-sultain-sept-grace-darling/). Chithear gu bheil mi gu math measail air taighean-solais! Mar sin bidh mi a’ dol air adhart leis a’ chuspair le bhith a’ sgrìobhadh a-nis mu Thaigh-solais a’ Chinn Àird, ann am Baile nam Frisealach, far an robh mi a’ chiad turas san Ògmhios, agus ‘s e togalach fìor dhrùidhteach a th’ ann.
Tha an taigh-solais seo sònraichte ann an iomadh dòigh. An toiseach, ‘s e seo a’ chiad taigh-solais a thog Bòrd Thaighean-solais a’ Chinn a Tuath, ann an 1787, dìreach aon bhliadhna às dèidh a stèidheachaidh. Aig an àm sin chan e ach lanntair a bh’ ann air tùr seann chaisteil air a’ chreig– Caisteal a’ Chinn Àird às an t-siathamh linn deug. Ach ann an 1822-23 chaidh taigh-solais gu tur ùr a thogail, tro theis-meadhan a’ chaisteil, le prìomh-einnseanair a’ Bhùird, Robert Stevenson, is esan a’ chiad einnseanair-taigh-solais san teaghlach ainmeil sin. (Sin an dearbh Stevenson a thog taigh-solais a’ Bell Rock, agus a dhealbhaich Rubha an Tairbeirt.) Mas fhìor, bha Robert airson an caisteal a leagail roimhe, ach chuir a charaid Sir Walter Scott ìmpidh air am plan seo atharrachadh. Mar sin, ‘s e an aon taigh-solais san t-saoghal a th’ air a thogail tro chaisteal!
Faodar tadhal air an taigh-solais còmhla ri neach-iùil snog is eòlach às an taigh-tasgaidh ri thaobh, agus tha e tarraingeach faicinn mar a bha beatha an luchd-taigh-sholais – chan eil an togalach ga chleachdadh tuilleadh a-nis (tha solas ùr fèin-obrachail ann san tùr bheag ri thaobh o chionn 1991), agus mar sin tha na seòmraichean is an àrneis air am fàgail mar a bha iad roimhe. Sa bhun-ùrlar chì thu fhathast na tancaichean-ola mòra, agus na canaichean uaine anns an do ghiùlain iad am paireafain suas an staidhre fhada shnìomhanach – bha lampa-paireafain aca gus an d’ fhuair iad lampa-dealain ann an 1975. Air ùrlaran eile chì thu an stòbha, an seann telebhisein, an leabaidh chumhang, leabhraichean is geamaichean, cairtean is uidheam an obrach, gus am bi thu fìor àrd, faisg air an t-solas fhèin leis an uidheam-uaireadair is an acfhainn ceangailte ris – a h-uile rud ag obrachadh fhathast, blàthachadh mìorbhaileach de ghlainne is chopar. Faodaidh tu fiù ‘s feuchainn ri bun an lampa trom a thionndadh le làmhrachan mòr. (Spòrs gu leòr do chloinn!) Tha ullag làidir le slabhraidhean fada, cuibhlichean-ullaig is cuideaman a’ crochadh bhon uidheam-uaireadair dìreach sìos tro mheadhan na staidhre cearcallaich domhain gu bun-ùrlar an taighe-sholais.
Bhon ùrlar as àirde sin faodaidh tu dol a-mach dhan ùrlar-amhairc timcheall air an tùr, le rèile làidir. Tha deagh shealladh ri fhaighinn bhon nead àrd sin, thairis air Baile nam Frisealach fhèin, ach cuideachd fada a-mach air a’ chuan. B’ urrainn dhuinn bataichean-iasgaich, longan cuairte-mara agus soithichean-bhogsaichean-luchd fhaicinn – ‘s e latha brèagha soilleir a bha againn. Agus tha fios agad gum bi na saoithichean sin toilichte cuideachd solas a’ Chinn Àird fhaicinn air an oidhche bho mhòran mhìltean a-mach air a’ mhuir.
Tha Taigh-tasgaidh nan Taighean-solais Albannach dìreach dà mhionaid air falbh, agus tha sin tarraingeach cuideachd (ach dùinte sa gheamhradh seo) – ach sgrìobhaidh mi ma dheidhinn-sa turas eile! San eadar-àm faodaidh mi tadhal air Taigh-solais a’ Chinn Àird fhèin a mholadh – fosgailte Diciadain gu Didòmhnaich sa gheamhradh airson tursan. Barrachd fiosrachaidh an seo: https://www.facebook.com/LighthouseMus/ agus https://lighthousemuseum.org.uk/kinnaird-head-lighthouse/
Kinnaird Head
A good while ago I wrote here about Tarbat Ness Lighthouse and the “Lighthouse Stevensens” (April 2015), and more recently (Sept 2023) about Grace Darling and the Longstone Lighthouse. You can see I’m fond of lighthouses! So now I’m continuing with the theme and writing about the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse in Fraserburgh, which I visited for the first time in June – and it’s an impressive building.
This lighthouse is special in various ways. To start with, it’s the first lighthouse built by the Northern Lighthouse Board, in 1787, just one year after its establishment. At that time it was only a lantern built on a tower on an old castle on the cliff – Kinnaird Castle from the 16th century. But in 1822-23 a completely new lighthouse was built, right through the middle of the castle, by the Board’s Chief Engineer, Robert Stevenson, the first lighthouse-engineer of the famous dynasty. (That’s the same Stevenson who built the Bell Rock Lighthouse, and who designed our own Tarbat Ness.) Robert allegedly wanted to demolish the castle first, but was persuaded to change his plans by his friend Sir Walter Scott. Thus it became the only lighthouse in the world to be built right through a castle!
You can visit the lighthouse on a tour led by a friendly and knowledgeable guide from the neighbouring museum, and it’s fascinating to see the keepers’ way of life in the old days of manned lighthouses. The lighthouse is no longer in use (in 1991 a new automatic light was installed on a smaller tower close by), so the rooms and furniture have been been left as they were. On the ground floor you can see the big oil-tanks and the green cans they used to carry paraffin up the long winding staircase – it was a paraffin lamp they had until an electric one was installed in 1975. On other floors you can see the stove, the old TV, the narrow bed, books, games, and charts and equipment for their work, until you get up really high, beside the light itself with its clockwork and associated machinery – everything still in working order, a marvellous flowering of glass and copper. You can even try to turn the heavy lamp-base with a big handle. (Fun for any kids!) There’s a hefty pulley with long chains, wheels and weights hanging from the clockwork machine straight down through the middle of the deep circular stairwell to the ground floor of the lighthouse.
From the top floor you can go out onto the viewing platform round the tower with its stout railing. There’s a great view from that high nest, over Fraserburgh itself but also far out on the ocean. We could see fishing boats, cruise liners and container ships – it was a beautiful clear day. And you know too that these vessels will also be glad to see the Kinnaird Head light during the night from many miles out to sea.
The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses is also just two minutes away, and that’s fascinating too (but closed this winter) – but I’ll write about that another time. Meanwhile I can highly recommend a visit to the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse itself, open for tours Wed – Sun in winter. More information here: https://www.facebook.com/LighthouseMus/ agus https://lighthousemuseum.org.uk/kinnaird-head-lighthouse/
