Duncansby Head

The tidal stream floring through the Pentland Firth earned it the title of ‘hell’s mouth in the days of sail and it is still a place where unwary ships can become a plaything of the sea. As the waters on the atlantic flow into the North Sea they create a welter of raves and waterfalls. In 1914 a temporary fog signal was placed at Duncansby Head close to John O’Groats which that then replaced by a permanent signal after the war. During the second World Ward, Duncansby Head was machine-gunned by a enemy bomber but fortunately no-one was injured and no damaged caused.