A stumpy lighthouse on top of 39-m / 128-foot cliffs on the remote east coast of the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, McArthur's Head is located to the south of the entrance to the Sound of Islay, 6 miles (10 km) south southeast of Port Askaig. The slopes of Beinn na Callich Beag rise another 130m (426 feet) behind. The lighthouse was built in 1861 by David (1815-86) and Thomas Stevenson (1818-87). It comprises a white tower, 13m (42.7 feet) in height, topped with a black-painted lantern. The light flashes white and red every 10 seconds and has a range of 13 nautical miles (24 km). Perhaps the best known of seven lighthouses on Islay, because it is seen from the ferry, McArthur's Head was automated in 1969 and converted to a solar-powered electric lamp in 2005, with a solar-panel array constructed nearby.
The lightkeepers' cottages have been demolished. Steps descend from the cliffs to a jetty in the sea.
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