Rattray Head Lighthouse, Rattray Point

Sunday 22nd February 2026

Rattray Head Lighthouse, Rattray Point and Bay

Recently there has been a lot of talk regarding Rattray Head Bay due to the announcement that a marine licence had been granted for the "Spittal" High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) 2GW subsea cable which will run 103 miles from Sinclairs Bay in Caithness to Rattray Head between Peterhead and Fraserburgh.

As part of a £22 Billon plus investment SSEN Transmission say that this will help play a major part in Scotlands and the UK's journey to a secure and clean energy future. The cables will connect to the Banniskirk Hub in Caithness and the Netherton Hub in Peterhead previously pictured.

The Rattray Head Lighthouse was built in 1895 after a number of reviews of the coastline in the area years earlier. Constructed with a granite base and brick walls this light house stands 37 metres and is accessible by a causeway thats usually underwater must be used at low tide only.

The lighthouse was originally powered by oil-powered lighting before changing to a diesel engine for providing power for the fog horn and the lights. Later in 1977 the lighthouse was connected to the mainland electric by the installation of a supply cable and telephone lines.

This upgrade allowed for full automation in 1982 meaning the departure of the keeper.

In the pictures you can see the barge called the Wavewalker 1, an eight legged walking jack up that is able o stride 4 meters at a time to move on location. its able to drill bore holes for geotechnical investigations and i believe this is what it is doing on location.

https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/project-map/spittal--peterhead-subsea-cable-link/