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Where to stand
Leave the car at the Esha Ness lighthouse car park and walk a few dozen metres from the building, away from the edge. Look north and north-west over the sea. There are almost no other lights nearby.
View towards the pole
Open Atlantic to the west and north-west, with the line of cliffs to the north
Sky darkness (Bortle scale): 1
Rules and safety
The cliffs are high, unfenced and cut by chasms and collapsed caves such as the Holes of Scraada, so do not walk along the edge after dark. In storms the waves throw rocks high onto the cliff top. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code applies, so leave field gates as you find them.
About the spot
Eshaness is a coast of black volcanic cliffs on the west of Shetland, with a lighthouse from 1929. In Shetland the aurora is called the mirrie dancers. At a geomagnetic latitude of about 62°, the aurora appears here more often than in the rest of Britain, and sometimes high in the sky.
Do not miss the next window
The best windows last a few hours: after a storm, after rain, on a clear night with an active Sun. Sign up and we will email you when the index at your spots goes above 60.