This beautiful part of the world that I am lucky enough to call
home has some of the most stunning coastline that I have ever
encountered. With an abundance of Blue Flag Beaches water sports
enthusiasts, swimmers, walkers and rock-poolers love spending
weekends and holidays here. However, as stunning as the coastline
is, the seas away from the sheltered beaches are as treacherous as
you will find. For years, lighthouses have stood on the edge our
shorelines, guiding ships to safety. For the old sailing ships, it
was paramount that these stages of their journeys home or to port
were as safe and protected as possible. The approach to the major
port of Liverpool is along the northern coast of Wales and as a
result many of the lighthouses still stand in splendid isolation,
high above the sea warning passing ships to be on the look-out.
Others have been converted into cosy cottages in locations that
take some beating and are great places to visit via boat or walk
to, weather permitting!
Point Lynas
What better place to start than Point Lynas Lighthouse on the
northern coast of Anglesey? The current lighthouse was built in
1835 and is still operational. The owners live in the head keeper's
cottage, and you can rent the East
and West Keepers Cottages
though us! The views are stunning and on clear days it is possible
to see Ireland, the Isle of Man, Dumfries and Galloway, the Lake
District and the Clwydian Range. Porpoises live almost permanently
off the end of the headland and can easily be seen on calmer days.
If you are very lucky you could catch sight of a Pilot whale, Minke
whale or even an Orca! It is also a hotspot for bird watchers. A
great way to view the lighthouse is to walk from the nearby
historical port of Amlwch.
South Stack
The tiny islet known as South Stack Rock lies separated from
Holyhead Island by a thirty metre churning channel and perched on
steep cliffs that rise up from the sea to over sixty metres. It
wasn't until 1809 that the first light appeared to mark the rock
for sailors. On 25th October 1859 one of the most severe storms of
the century battered the coast. Over two hundred vessels were
either driven ashore or totally wrecked and eight hundred lost
their lives. The steamship Royal Charter was among these.
Fortunately in 1984 the lighthouse was automated and the keepers
stationed elsewhere. A cable twenty one metres above sea level used
to link the lighthouse to the mainland. Along this a sliding basket
was drawn carrying a passenger or stores, in the style of the book
The Lighthouse Keepers Lunch! This system was eventually replaced
by a suspension bridge which is handy as the landward approach to
the bridge is by descending 400 steps cut into the cliff face! The
island and the lighthouse were reopened to visitors in 1997 and is
now part of an RSPB bird reserve.
North Stack
This isn't actually a lighthouse, however, history links it to
South Stack. In the "olden days," going back to the early 1800s,
sophistication went out of the window when it came to warning ships
off the Holy Island rocks. A huge cannon was fired from the cliff
top to warn all that "Here are some cliffs!" The cannon was used
along with the fog warning bell that was located at South Stack
Lighthouse. Both were eventually replaced by a fog siren. The fog
horn station and gunpowder store are now redundant. The views from
North Stack are staggering as you are surrounded by steep sea
cliffs with seals and porpoises below and hundreds of noisy
seabirds above.
Trwyn Du
In the 1800s, Liverpool master pilots felt it was essential to
have a light on the shore at Black Point, or Trwyn-du. The
lighthouse is situated on a low-lying rock surrounded by beaches
about half a mile south of Puffin Island. The circular stone tower
is distinguished by three wide black bands. Trwyn Du Lighthouse was
converted to solar power in 1996. We like the walk out to the
headland at Penmon Point, which has lovely views over towards
Puffin Island, and back across the Menai Strait to Snowdonia. When
it was built in the 1830s, the lighthouse featured a flushable
lavatory, which was supposed to stop seawater from surging back up
the pipe from the sea below. It never actually worked, which
explains why it has been unmanned since 1922!
Skerries
One of the most well known lighthouses in the region is Skerries.
Skerries Lighthouse stands proud at the end of a strip of submerged
land north-east of Holyhead which lies directly in the path of many
of the major shipping lines from Liverpool and Ireland. The
Skerries get their name from the Gaelic word "sgeir" meaning "rocky
islet," in Welsh they are known as Ynys Y Moelrhoniaid which means
"Islands of Bald Headed Grey seals." This lighthouse marks the most
north-western point of Wales and is one of the most important
lights of the Irish Sea. The round white and red, cylindrical,
stone tower with lantern and gallery is attached to a two storey
keeper's house. The RSPB manage the island reserve although the
islands are owned by Trinity House. The islands also hold
significant numbers of breeding terns, herring and lesser
black-backed gulls and large numbers of breeding puffins. Local
companies charter boats leaving from Holyhead to view these
stunning islands in more detail and to see the lighthouse up
close.
Holyhead Breakwater
The Holyhead Breakwater Lighthouse stands on the Holyhead
Breakwater just outside the port itself. You cannot fail to be
impressed by its sheer presence of the breakwater itself, all 1.48
miles of it, quarried from the old Holyhead quarry, nearby. The
three-storey black and white tower, unlike many contemporary
lighthouses, is square for the obvious reason that it made day to
day living in the lighthouse more comfortable. In the 19th century,
ships approaching Holyhead in the fog would be warned by a bell
operated from the lighthouse. In the late 1870s this was
supplemented with rockets which would complement the cannon fired
from the fog warning station on North Stack. Take a fishing rod or
your bike and enjoy the trip down the longest breakwater in the UK
to the lighthouse itself.
Llanddwyn Island
The lighthouses here are redundant, but well worth a mention in
the run up to Valentine's day as it could be argued that there
isn't a more romantic spot in Wales than Llanddwyn Island. A lovely
walk is out through the Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve
onto a slim, sand-fringed island, past the ruins of a chapel
dedicated to St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers, and at
the tip, a pair of basic whitewashed lighthouses Tŵr Mawr and Tŵr
Bach. The whole place is stunning and quite romantic! In 2004 the
light station even appeared in the movie "Half Light" starring Demi
Moore. The dunes, large rocky outcrops and mixture of historic
buildings make for an ideal place to explore as a family and there
is something to keep everyone interested. On a more practical note
- situated near the southern entrance to the Menai Strait, the
stretch of water became important in the shipping of slate from the
Welsh ports of Bangor, Caernarfon and Felinheli increased. The
beacon, called Tŵr Bach, was built at the tip of the island to act
as a guide to ships heading for the Strait.
Bardsey Island
The small island of Bardsey separated from the mainland and the
fishing village of Aberdaron, by the Bardsey Sound, a stretch of
water well known to sailors as being particularly dangerous. The
island, which is two miles long by half a mile wide, is surrounded
by outcrops of sharp rocks and dangerous seas. With a rich history
going back thousands of years, there was a real need for a
lighthouse on the island. Bardsey Lighthouse stands on the
southerly tip of the island and gives a guide to ships passing
through St George's Channel and towards the Irish Sea. The red and
white striped, square tower was built in 1821 and became automated
in 1987. You can visit the island itself by a charter boat from the
fishing village of Aberdaron, weather permitting through Bardsey Boat
Trips.
Holyhead Main Pier
Another historically important, but now redundant, lighthouse is
located at the end of the pier at Salt Island, marking the north
side of the entrance to the harbour in downtown Holyhead. Holyhead
Main Pier is a conical white house and is possibly the second
oldest lighthouse in Wales. The lighthouse is of national
significance as one of eminent engineer of the industrial
revolution, John Rennie's, surviving works. The tower survives
today and has beautifully curved gallery railings, similar to those
in Bardsey Island Lighthouse. It is no longer in use, although it
is used as a navigation reference for sailors.
Other islands around North Wales are home to famous lighthouses
including -
Bardsey Island
The small island of Bardsey separated from the mainland and the
fishing village of Aberdaron, by the Bardsey Sound, a stretch of
water well known to sailors as being particularly dangerous. The
island, which is two miles long by half a mile wide, is surrounded
by outcrops of sharp rocks and dangerous seas. With a rich history
going back thousands of years, there was a real need for a
lighthouse on the island. Bardsey Lighthouse stands on the
southerly tip of the island and gives a guide to ships passing
through St George's Channel and towards the Irish Sea. The red and
white striped, square tower was built in 1821 and became automated
in 1987. You can visit the island itself by a charter boat from the
fishing village of Aberdaron, weather permitting through Bardsey Boat
Trips.
St. Tudwal's
St Tudwal's Lighthouse is situated on the small island of St
Tudwal's Island West can be seen from Abersoch Main Beach. It marks
the north end of Cardigan Bay to sailors. Located half a mile
offshore, the lighthouse and island have gained something of a
celebrity status after Bear Grylls and his family purchased the
lighthouse keepers cottage some years back. The site of the
lighthouse was purchased by Trinity House in 1876. It was
modernised and converted to solar powered operation in 1995. The
island itself is private, however local charter companies including
Abersoch Angling, offer trips around the islands to see the
abundant wildlife, including grey seal, dolphins and the thousands
of birds that nest there.
If this post has piqued your interest, why not book a stay in a
North Wales through us? Either book online, or give us a call and
speak to one of the team who all live in and love the area.