Confirmed · Outer Hebrides · Landscape
Eilean Glas Lighthouse
An island lighthouse landscape (2019 special) in Call the Midwife. Open to visitors; allow 2 to 3 hours with the walk.
- On screen as
- An island lighthouse landscape (2019 special)
- Series and episodes
- Christmas special 2019 · Christmas special 2019
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Time needed
- 2 to 3 hours with the walk
- Where
- Scalpay, Isle of Harris
On screen
How Eilean Glas Lighthouse appears
Visit Outer Hebrides lists Eilean Glas Lighthouse on Scalpay among the places filmed for the 2019 Christmas special, which takes the Nonnatus team to the islands. The striped tower on its rocky point gives the special one of its big Hebridean landscapes. The story is set in the islands and was filmed there, so what you see is what you will find, with the weather a lot less predictable than on screen. The lighthouse appears as scenery rather than as a named fictional place.
The real place
What you can visit
Eilean Glas was one of the first lighthouses built by the Northern Lighthouse Board, first lit in 1789; the present red-and-white striped tower dates from the 1820s and is now automatic. Scalpay is joined to Harris by a road bridge. From the end of the road, a waymarked but rough walk of around an hour each way crosses boggy moorland to the light. The tower itself is not open; the keepers' cottages are privately run. Wear walking boots, allow plenty of time and turn back if the weather closes in.
The walk is exposed and wet underfoot: take boots and waterproofs, tell someone your plans, and keep away from cliff edges.
Visit Outer Hebrides: Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special locations ↗Reaching the Outer Hebrides means a CalMac ferry (Ullapool to Stornoway for Lewis, Uig on Skye to Tarbert for Harris) or a flight to Stornoway, then a car for the single-track roads. Lewis and Harris are one island, but the drive from Calanais to Rodel takes well over an hour each way. Book ferries early in summer, carry food and fuel, and plan around the weather and the short winter daylight.
Common questions
Planning a responsible visit
Was Eilean Glas Lighthouse in Call the Midwife?
Yes. Visit Outer Hebrides lists it among the 2019 Christmas special locations.
Can you go up the lighthouse?
No. The tower is a working automatic light and is not open, but you can walk out to the headland around it.
How hard is the walk?
It is a rough moorland walk of about an hour each way, with boggy sections and some climbs. Good boots are essential.
Plan your visit
Build it into the day.
Tarbert's shops and Harris Distillery, a short drive back over the bridge.
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Map
Days out including this place
Continue with a prepared day out
Nearby
Continue through Outer Hebrides
Calanais Standing Stones
Where Mother Mildred and Sister Monica Joan visit the stones (2019 special)
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Gearrannan Blackhouse Village
Aunt Mina and Effie's island home (2019 special)
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Luskentyre Beach
Where the Turners talk about the islands (2019 special)
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St Clement's Church, Rodel
St Faelan's Church (2019 special)
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