Rinns of Islay

Looking across the eastern part of the Rinns from Beinn Tart A' Mhill, the highest point in the area, across the seaward end of Loch Indaal towards the Mull of Oa
Rinns of Islay Lighthouse
Map
LocationOrsay, Rinns of Islay, Argyll and Bute, Kilchoman, United Kingdom Edit this at Wikidata
OS gridNR1634551414
Coordinates55°40′23″N 6°30′48″W / 55.6731°N 6.51323°W / 55.6731; -6.51323
Tower
Constructed1825 Edit this on Wikidata
Built byRobert Stevenson Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionmasonry tower
Automated31 March 1998 Edit this on Wikidata
Height29 m (95 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern[1][2]
Markingswhite tower, black lantern, ochre trim
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board Edit this on Wikidata
Heritagecategory A listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Light
Focal height46 m (151 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Intensity600,000 candela Edit this on Wikidata
Range24 nmi (44 km; 28 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl W 5s Edit this on Wikidata
Official nameRinns of Islay
Designated25 April 1990
Reference no.466[3]

The Rinns of Islay (Scottish Gaelic: Na Roinn Ìleach; alternative English spelling Rhinns of Islay) is an area on the west of the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.

It is a peninsula that is attached to the main body of the island by a narrow isthmus towards its northern end. The main population centres are Port Charlotte and Portnahaven, based on the A847 that runs along its eastern coast.

It is designated a Special Protection Area due to its importance for a number of breeding and wintering birds, particularly Greenland white-fronted goose and chough. The significance of the area owes much to its wide variety of habitats including bog, moorland, dune grassland, maritime grassland, marsh and extensively-farmed agricultural land.

The Rinns of Islay lighthouse is located on the island of Orsay.

The Rhinns complex, a deformed igneous complex that is considered to form the basement to the Colonsay Group of metasedimentary rocks takes its name from the Rhinns of Islay.

  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Argyll and Bute". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  2. ^ Rinns of Islay Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 20 May 2016
  3. ^ "Rinns of Islay". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.