Rattray Head
Encyclopedia
Rattray Head (historically Rattray Point) is a headland
in Buchan
, Aberdeenshire
, on the north east coast Scotland
. To north lies Strathbeg Bay and Rattray Bay is to its south. The dunes at Rattray Head beach can be up to seventy-five feet high and stretch approximately 17 miles (27.4 km) from St Combs to Peterhead
.
was built in 1895. It was built by the engineers and brothers David Alan Stevenson
and Charles Alexander Stevenson
. In February 1982 it became unmanned and fully automatic.
The lighthouse is accessible via a causeway which is underwater most of the time and only visible at low tide. It is wide enough for a vehicle to cross.
Remains of several shipwrecks can still be seen on the beach today.
Headlands and bays
Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...
in Buchan
Buchan
Buchan is one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by the council in 1996, when the Aberdeenshire unitary council area was created under the Local Government etc Act 1994...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, on the north east coast Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. To north lies Strathbeg Bay and Rattray Bay is to its south. The dunes at Rattray Head beach can be up to seventy-five feet high and stretch approximately 17 miles (27.4 km) from St Combs to Peterhead
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
.
Rattray Head Lighthouse
The 120 foot (36.5 m) Rattray Head Lighthouse lighthouseLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
was built in 1895. It was built by the engineers and brothers David Alan Stevenson
David Alan Stevenson
David Alan Stevenson was a lighthouse engineer who built twenty six lighthouses in and around Scotland.Born into the famous Stevenson family of lighthouse engineers, son of David Stevenson, brother of Charles Stevenson, and nephew of Thomas Stevenson, he was educated at Edinburgh University...
and Charles Alexander Stevenson
Charles Alexander Stevenson
Charles Alexander Stevenson was a Scottish lighthouse engineer who built twenty three lighthouses in and around Scotland....
. In February 1982 it became unmanned and fully automatic.
The lighthouse is accessible via a causeway which is underwater most of the time and only visible at low tide. It is wide enough for a vehicle to cross.
Remains of several shipwrecks can still be seen on the beach today.