Isle of Skye's Secret

Ornsay Lighthouse — Discovering a Hidden Gem on the Isle of Skye

Photographing a lighthouse after a storm is one thing. Photographing one after a storm has swept across a forgotten corner of the Isle of Skye, with snow-capped mountains emerging dramatically from the clouds behind it, is something else entirely.
Isle Ornsay Lighthouse was designed by the renowned Scottish lighthouse engineers Thomas and David Stevenson and established on 10 November 1857. For more than 160 years it has stood on the small island of Ornsay, protecting shipping around the Sleat Peninsula and marking the entrance to the Sound of Sleat.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to photograph it from the village of Isleornsay during one of my photographic adventures on Skye. From the shoreline, there are wonderful views across the water towards Ornsay and its lighthouse, with the mountains of the Scottish mainland providing a spectacular backdrop.

To call this place picturesque would be an understatement. Isleornsay and Ornsay Lighthouse are simply breathtaking, and what surprised me most was how little attention they seem to receive from photographers. Perhaps that's exactly what makes the location so special. The Isle of Skye has its famous honeypot locations, but every now and then you stumble across somewhere that feels completely different. Isleornsay is one of those places.

Taking a Chance on the Weather

I'd arrived on Skye hoping for good photographic conditions, but the morning hadn't exactly gone to plan. Following Storm Dudley, we were treated to torrential rain and miserable weather. I remember looking out of the window of our Airbnb that morning and thinking that photography on the Isle of Skye might be written off for the next few days. How wrong I was.

By the middle of the afternoon, the constant rain had finally eased. The flat grey skies began to break, the light softened and, with a little encouragement, our group decided that we should make the most of the improving conditions. Almost on a whim, we packed our camera gear and waterproofs and headed for Isleornsay. It's one of the lesser-known and less-visited corners of Skye, and I have to admit that not everyone in the group was particularly enthusiastic about the idea. I was. And I'm very glad I was.

Storm Light and Snow-Capped Mountains

As I searched for compositions and began setting up my shots, the weather continued to throw everything it had at us. Squally showers swept through, bringing sleet and hail. Short, sharp downpours were followed by moments of complete calm and even glimpses of early spring sunshine. Above us, the storm clouds raced across the sky towards the distant Scottish mainland.

Gulls danced and wheeled in the wind, while others bobbed peacefully on the water below. Then, between the passing clouds, the mountains appeared. Snow-capped peaks emerged from beneath the storm, catching the soft afternoon light before disappearing back into the clouds. Behind them, the Ornsay Lighthouse stood quietly on its tiny island, completely surrounded by the dramatic conditions.

It was one of those moments when the weather stops being an obstacle to photography and becomes part of the photograph itself. The combination of storm light, fleeting sunshine, snow-covered mountains and the lighthouse was simply incredible. I couldn't have asked for more.

One of My Favourite Photographic Adventures

I'm sure by now you've probably realised that I was rather taken with this place. And the photographs I came away with only reinforced that feeling.

The series of images I made that afternoon remain some of the most satisfying photographs I've taken. Not necessarily because they are technically perfect, but because they capture exactly what I experienced that day — the unpredictability of the weather, the drama of the landscape and that wonderful feeling of discovering somewhere that hadn't already been photographed to death. Perhaps that's why I'm already hankering to return. There are plenty of famous locations on the Isle of Skye. Places that appear on countless Instagram feeds, calendars and photography guides. But sometimes the most rewarding photographs come from simply looking at a map, taking a chance and heading somewhere that isn't on everyone's itinerary.

For me, Isleornsay and Ornsay Lighthouse was one of those places. And if this is one of Skye's best-kept photography secrets, perhaps it's better that we keep it that way.

The Photographs

Several of the images from this adventure have now been printed and have pride of place in my home. A selection of additional prints is also available.

Which image from the video is your favourite? Let me know in the comments — I'd love to know which one catches your eye.