Fogbow — Scottish Coastal Headlands
The fogbow ('white rainbow' or 'ghost rainbow') on the Scottish coastal headlands of Fife and Sutherland — a complete arc of white light appearing in sea fog when sunlight refracts through the fog droplets, the droplets too small to produce the wavelength separation of a conventional rainbow and so producing a white arc with faint colour fringing visible at the bow's inner edge — creates one of Britain's rarest and most atmospheric meteorological encounters. The fogbow's appearance conditions (fog bank in the direct sunlight's path, the observer with their back to the low sun) are most reliably met on the Scottish east coast in spring and early summer when the North Sea haar meets the Fife coast's low morning sun. The combination of the fogbow's ghostly white arc above the sea fog, the complete silence of the fog-muffled coastline, and the occasional contrast of a gannet's white form passing through the bow creates one of Britain's most specifically atmospheric coastal encounters.
About this spectacle
Standing on the Fife coastal headlands between Crail and Anstruther, you face the North Sea fog bank with the low morning sun at your back. Where the sunlight enters the haar — the cold North Sea sea fog that rolls in off the water in spring and early summer — a broad, ghostly white arc materialises above the water. Unlike a conventional rainbow, the fogbow's arc is white, its droplets too fine to separate colour, though a faint bluish inner fringe and reddish outer fringe may be visible at the bow's edge. The fog muffles all sound; the coastline falls entirely silent except for the occasional low call of seabirds. A gannet may pass through the arc in brilliant white, momentarily becoming part of the optical phenomenon itself. The complete arc appears and dissolves as fog thickness shifts, sometimes vanishing within minutes. No two fogbow encounters are identical — the arc's brightness, width, and completeness depend on fog density, sun angle, and your precise position on the headland.
When to go
Jan — Dec, peak Apr — Jun
Getting there
Nearest airport: EDI. Nearest city: Dundee.
Booking options
Goyova doesn't process bookings directly. When you tap "Plan this trip" in the app, you'll see options from our partner providers — accommodation, tours, transport — with affiliate links where applicable. See our affiliate disclosure for details.
More like this.
Returns Jan 2027 Abisko Aurora Sky Station
Sweden
Off-season Actun Tunichil Muknal — Cayo Belize
San Ignacio, Cayo District, BZ
Peak season Aekingerzand
NL