For over two centuries they have guided sea mariners safely to Scotland's most remote locations.
However the workers who maintain and operate Scotland’s lighthouses, beacons and buoys are charting troubled waters amid a long-running dispute over pay.
Dozens of workers who are employed by the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), are to stage a 24-hour walkout today (June 26) beginning at midday.
It is the first time in a generation that staff have downed tools.
The strike involving able seamen, base assistants, cooks and technicians was prompted by the latest pay offer, a 2% rise that was described as a "brutal real terms cut" by union leaders.
Unite is warning that safety at sea could be compromised due to strike action and has laid the blame directly at the UK Government's Department of Transport.
The NLB is funded from Light Dues, a tax collected from the users of the body’s Aids to Navigation.
READ MORE: Teachers at Humza Yousaf's former school to return to strike
An annual process take places to agree a 5-year plan which is scrutinised and approved by both the UK Department for Transport and the Lights Advisory Committee, who represent those who pay the tax.
Unite say the NLB does not have the capacity to raise money to fund a better offer. It has urged the Scottish Government to intervene and apply pressure on Westminster to resolve the dispute.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s NLB members have been left with no option but to take a stand.
"What’s on offer is a brutal real-term pay cut.
"With energy costs, inflation and interest rates climbing to heights not seen for decades, a 2% offer just doesn’t cut it."
The NLB maintains 208 lighthouses across Scotland and the Isle of Man and around 40 Unite members will take part in today's walkout.
READ MORE: Dozens of airport staff in Glasgow to take part in strike action
Its mainland operations are based at its Edinburgh HQ, and in Oban where there are maintenance workshops and facilities for the construction of beacons and buoys. Technicians are also based in Inverness, Shetland and Orkney.
The NLB’s has two vessels based in Oban: NLV Pharos and NLV Pole Star which deliver stores and supplies to lighthouses, carry out buoy work and the inspection of navigation aids.
Both vessels will be docked at Oban and picket lines will be in place on both days of the action at the Gallanach Road base.
In April, Unite disclosed that its NLB members voted to support taking strike action by 90.6% in a turnout of 86.5%.
Unite members have rejected a 2% pay offer and one-off cash payments as unacceptable.
The union says it is well below pay offers made to other public sector organisations.
READ MORE: University of Edinburgh staff to strike following controversial pay deduction
It comes after the Bank of England raised interest rates to a 15-year high of 5% last week, with predictions levels could rise to a 25-year high.
Unite industrial officer, Alison MacLean, added: “The strike action by our NLB members is historic and the first in a generation.
"The reality is that talks with the NLB have run aground.
"This is largely down to the UK Government, who finance the NLB, not providing the extra finances required to make a better offer to our members.
"We are demanding that the Scottish Government intervene and apply pressure on the UK Government to resolve this dispute or it is in danger of remaining in troubled waters."
A spokesman for Northern Lighthouse Board said: "We sympathise with the cost-of-living pressures our staff face, but Northern Lighthouse Board is bound entirely by UK Government pay policy.
“The current pay award was subject to an exhaustive Department for Transport (DfT) approval process, which leaves us with no room for manoeuvre.
"We have put contingency measures in place to ensure mariners are provided with an effective safety of navigation service while the action is underway."
A UK Government spokeswoman said: “Public sector pay strikes a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, while delivering value for taxpayers and avoiding higher prices in the future."
Some of Scotland's most notable lighthouses date back to the 18th century.
Kinnaird Head at Fraserborough Harbour was built by Thomas Smith in 1787 while North Ronaldsay in the Orkney isles dates from 1789.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here