Tarbet Ness

On the tip of a rocky peninsula near the pretty fishing village of Portmahomack, this jaunty red and white striped lighthouse, the tallest on the Scottish mainland, was built on the foundations of an old Roman Fort by Robert Stevenson in 1830 after a violent storm in November 1826 caused 16 vessels to be wrecked in the Moray Firth. Still in operation it’s not open to the public, but there are good coastal paths around here and it’s a prime spot for catching sight of migratory birds in autumn, including Manx and Sooty Shearwaters.