Saturday, 13th May 2023 at 11.30am
Whenever I smell salt water, I know that I am not far from one of the works of my ancestors. The Bell Rock stands monument for my grandfather, the Skerry Vhor for my Uncle Alan;
and when the lights come out at sundown along the shores of Scotland, I am proud to think they burn more brightly for the genius of my father. Robert Louis Stevenson
The sun was shining brightly in Elgin, but in Lossiemouth there was thick haar, when twenty four Club members assembled below the lighthouse in the car park next to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Heritage Centre, designed and built for this purpose, and featuring a striking living roof. After looking at the exhibits in the museum, we walked up to the lighthouse and were met by Ian McPherson, one of the volunteers, who explained the history of the lighthouse, one of many in Scotland built by the remarkable Stevenson family, whose members included the writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Covesea was built by Alan Stevenson, uncle of RLS, who also built the Skerry Vhor Lighthouse. It was completed in 1846, twenty years after the Stotfield Disaster of 1826, when sixteen ships were lost. The Lighthouse was automated in 1984, and finally decommissioned in 2012. It is now owned by Covesea Lighthouse Community Company and run by volunteers, who are preserving this iconic building as a heritage and education centre for all. Many thanks to the volunteers for giving us such a warm welcome and sharing their knowledge and love of the building.
And congratulations to all those Field Club members who made it to the top of the Lighthouse undeterred by 144 steps and two short ladders. Owing to the haar which continued to roll in during our visit, the view after the long climb was not as memorable as it should have been.
The Lighthouse is open at weekends ,11-4, from now until the end of October. Tours must be booked in advance. Telephone number: 01343 810664. There is also lots of information and further contact details on the website : covesealighthouse.co.uk.
There is an excellent book about the Stevensons, very well researched and very readable, if you would like to know more : The Lighthouse Stevensons by Bella Bathurst.
