Cape Wrath (Scottish Gaelic: Am Parbh, known as An Carbh in Lewis) is a cape in Sutherland, Highland, in northern Scotland. It is the most northwesterly point on the island of Great Britain. The land between the Kyle of Durness and the lighthouse that is situated right at the tip, is known as the Parph, two hundred and seven square kilometers of virtually uninhabited moorland. The first road (now named the 'U70') in the district, built in 1828 by the lighthouse commission, was constructed across the Parph (580 37.5 N. Latitude; 500 00.0 W. Longitude) to Britain's most north westerly point. This road, is only accessible via the passenger ferry that crosses the Kyle of Durness.
Vikings would often turn their ships for home at Cape Wrath.
Cape Wrath is one of only two places prefixed with the name "Cape" in Great Britain, the other being Cape Cornwall in Cornwall.
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The name Cape Wrath, though perhaps apt when taken in context of its remote and forbidding landscape and frequent rough sea, is derived from Old Norse hvarf ("turning point"). In this context "Wrath" is pronounced /ˈræθ/ (to rhyme with "math"), in contrast to the ordinary English word "wrath", usually pronounced /ˈrɒθ/ in British English (to rhyme with "Goth").
As with the rest of the British Isles, Cape Wrath has an Oceanic (Köppen Cfb) - this is especially pronounced due to its west, coastal location.
Its exposed northerly position can give rise to some exceptionally low winter sunshine levels - in January 1983 it recorded just 38 minutes of sunshine, a record low for Scotland.[1] This exposed positioning however also means severe frost is unknown; when temperatures at Altnaharra or Kinbrace just 20 miles (30 km) or so inland are −20 °C (−4 °F) or below, the temperature at Cape Wrath is often hovering close to freezing. For example, on the 30th of December 1995, when Altnaharra dropped to −27 °C (−16.6 °F),[2] the temperature at Cape Wrath fell to a mere −2.2 °C (28.0 °F).[3] The record low of −6.9 °C (19.6 °F) is comparable to those recorded on the Shetlands, Hebrides and even Scilly Isles of England, in spite of Cape Wrath's mainland location. A slight fohn effect can also occur with the right angle of southerly winds, exemplified by the record December high of 17.7 °C (63.9 °F).
| Climate data for Cape Wrath, 112m asl, 1971-2000, Extremes 1960-2000 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
24.4 (75.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
23.9 (75.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.7 (63.9) |
26.9 (80.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 6.5 (43.7) |
6.3 (43.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.8 (51.4) |
12.2 (54.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
14.6 (58.3) |
12.9 (55.2) |
11.0 (51.8) |
8.5 (47.3) |
7.3 (45.1) |
9.93 (49.88) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) |
2.2 (36.0) |
2.6 (36.7) |
3.8 (38.8) |
6.1 (43.0) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
9.0 (48.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.4 (39.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
5.75 (42.35) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6 (21) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−6 (21) |
−2 (28) |
1.6 (34.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
4.1 (39.4) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−3 (27) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 131.5 (5.177) |
77.7 (3.059) |
101.49 (3.9957) |
62.87 (2.4752) |
55.43 (2.1823) |
70.49 (2.7752) |
82.91 (3.2642) |
100.44 (3.9543) |
139.62 (5.4969) |
138.28 (5.4441) |
160.95 (6.3366) |
138.31 (5.4453) |
1,259.99 (49.6059) |
| Source no. 1: YR.NO[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute/KNMI[5] | |||||||||||||
From the south, the only route to the Cape is on foot.
The more common approach is by taking a passenger ferry from Keoldale near Durness across the Kyle of Durness, and then walking, cycling or taking a minibus for the journey of around 11 miles (18 km) to the lighthouse, which takes the visitor through a desolate and virtually uninhabited region, which is used as a military bombardment range by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force; hence travel to the Cape is restricted at certain times of year. It is the only place in the Northern Hemisphere where NATO forces combine land, air, and sea capabilities in assault mode for training maneouvres, deploying ordnance up to 1,000-pound (450 kg) bombs.
Near to the ferry port is the old Ferryman's House (no longer inhabited). All that remains of the hamlet of Achiemore are a house (now used as a holiday home), a chequered prefab army building (the first MoD check-point for when the range is active) and the stone foundations of the old school, which was rarely attended by more than five pupils. Near by, is the old hamlet of Daill, where another house (now a holiday home) and a "temporary" bridge (constructed 1981 by the Army) spans the river Daill. Approximately 3.2 Km (2 miles) further, is the old hamlet of Inshore - where the only house that is still standing, is owned and used by the MoD. Further along the U70 road, a track to the right takes the traveller down to the old hamlet of Kearvaig, where there is a splendid beach and Kearvaig House which the Mountain Bothies Association have converted into a Bothy. Just off the shore, is Kearvaig Stack (also known as "The Cathedral" due to the appearance of two spires and a natural window created by the weather) - a notable local feature.
4 miles (6 km) east of the cape lie the Clò Mór cliffs, the highest sea cliffs on the British mainland. Just a little further to the east, lies Garvie Island (An Garbh-eilean) which is one of the main targets the MoD use for their practicing.
Cape Wrath is also the turning point for the Cape Wrath Marathon, a particularly strenuous race due to the continuously undulating terrain. This runs for 11 miles (18 km) out to the lighthouse and the same distance back to the ferry dock on the Cape side. The final 4-mile (6.4 km) leg of this race is run from the mainland side from the ferry dock and finishes at Durness Community Centre. The marathon is held each year as the final event of a week of races called the Cape Wrath Challenge.
| Cape Wrath Lighthouse | |
| Location | Sutherland, northern Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | |
| Year first lit | 1828 |
| Automated | 1998 |
| Construction | White tower |
| Height | 20 metres (66 ft) |
| Focal height | 122 metres (400 ft) |
| Range | 22 nautical miles |
| Characteristic | Gp Fl.(4) W 30 sec |
There is a lighthouse at the cape, built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson, which was manned until 1998, when it was converted to automatic operation by the Northern Lighthouse Board. Overlooking the Cape are the ruins of the Lloyd's signal station which was used to monitor shipping.
The block of crumbling white houses next to the lighthouse are mostly currently disused, although one has been renovated over the past ten years, and another is home to a room with information about George Stephenson.
The sole inhabitants are now John Ure and his family, who leased the main building, converted it into a three-bedroomed home, and who have opened what is claimed to be Britain's most remote cafe on the site: the Ozone Cafe was opened in 2009 by the Princess Royal, and seats eight people.[6] It is open all hours of the day and night throughout the year.
Due to its landscape largely untouched by humans, Cape Wrath has an excellent diversity of wildlife, including fulmar, hooded crow, rock pipit, golden eagle, red deer, cormorant and gannet.
On September 27, 1915, while sailing for Scapa Flow, HMS Caribbean (previously known as RMS Dunottar Castle before being requisitioned for wartime service) foundered off Cape Wrath in bad weather. A tow by HMS Birkenhead was unsuccessful; 15 died.[7] An inquiry later blamed the ship's carpenter for being insufficiently familiar with the ship and for failing to shut all the scuttles—like most of the crew, he had joined the ship just 10 days earlier.[7] The ship served in various capacities during World War I, but she was best known for reducing the voyage time from Southampton, England, to Cape Town, South Africa, by half in the 1890s, and for transporting many famous soldiers and statesmen to and from the Cape Colony during the Second Boer War. The wreck was found in 2004, 35 miles off Cape Wrath, undisturbed except for fishing nets.[8]