Keep the Light on for Me

Europe

Ireland

Hook Head Lighthouse County Wexford, Ireland sits at the tip of the Hook Peninsula. It is the oldest working lighthouse in the world. It has stood for 800 years. The first keepers of the light were monks whose monastery stood on the peninsula. They lit warning fires and beacons warning sailors of the dangerous rocks surrounding the area. The first actual lighthouse keepers came in the mid-17th century. This lighthouse was converted to automatic in 1996. Tours are available through the adjacent visitor center. For stunning views, visitors can climb the 115 steps to the balcony.

Fanad Lighthouse County Donegal, Ireland was built on the Fanad Head of the Fanad Peninsula in 1804. A new and brighter light was installed, operating on a weight-driven clockwork rotation machine in 1909. The structure was converted to electricity in 1975. The lighthouse overlooked Porsalon and Ballymastocker Bay.

Wales

South Stack Lighthouse Anglesey, Wales is a popular attraction. It is surrounded by a nature reserve with thousands of seabirds that nest on the cliffs in the springtime. It was automated in 1984 with fog and light signal control from the Trinity House Operational Control Center in Harwich, Essex.

England

St. Mary’s Lighthouse Bait Island, England can be reached via a short causeway. It stands on tiny Bait Island along the northeast coast. Visitors can climb 137 steps to the top for great views. There is a small museum, a visitor center, a gift shop, and a café. The surrounding nature reserve has a beach, wetland habitats, cliff-top grassland, and rock pools.

Scotland

Nest Point Lighthouse Isle of Skye, Scotland stands on the most westerly point of the Isle of Skye. It was first lit in 1909 and its tower stands 62 feet high featuring a light that can be seen up to 24 miles away. Automated in 1990 it is remotely operated from the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh. This is the best point to see dolphins, whales, porpoises, and basking sharks.

France

Le Creac’h Lighthouse stands nearly 180 feet tall in Ushant, France. It is one of the most powerful lighthouses in the world flashing light every ten seconds. The light cuts its way across the storm-swept waters of the French Atlantic coast its beam reaching for more than 37 miles. The lantern has elaborated screening to protect migrating birds. There is a lighthouse museum.

Belgium

Lange Nelle Lighthouse Flanders, Belgium is a famous lighthouse located along the Belgian coastline on the North Sea in Oostende, Flanders. It helps guide sailors safely into Ostend Harbor. The tower is 190 feet high and the light is visible up to 27 nautical miles.

Greece

Chania Lighthouse in Crete, Greece is one of the oldest lighthouses in Greece as well as across the entire Mediterranean. In the Old Port of Chania, it is a major attraction. It stands opposite the Firkas Fortress. The Venetians constructed it at the end of the 16th century with restoration around 1839 and most recently 2006. The lighthouse is no longer active but remains as a highlight for visitors.

Spain

Mouro Island Lighthouse Santander, Spain stands on a small island in front of the Peninsula de La Maddelena. It has been in operation since 1865. Located 128 feet above sea level it is located at the entrance to the Bay of Santander where the waves are most treacherous during storms. It was automated in 1920 and a new torch was installed in 2004 making it visible seven miles out and emitting three white flashes every seventeen seconds.

Portugal

Felgueiras Lighthouse is located at the tip of the jetty Felgueiras on the old north breakwater in Portugal. At this place, the Douro River flows into the Atlantic Ocean in Porto City. The lighthouse was built in 1886 but has been inactive since 2009. The hexagonal granite tower with lantern and gallery stands 33 feet high and is often pounded by storms.

Africa

Slangkop Lighthouse Kommetjie, South Africa stands on Cape Peninsula. Kommetjie is an isolated town. It stands on the beach looking out over the Cape of Good Hope. The lighthouse stands over 198 feet tall, it was built in 1914 but wasn’t lit until after WW I in 1919. It can be seen from the mountain pass Ou Kaapse Wed.

Australia

Green Cape Lighthouse New South Wales Australia stands at the tip of Disaster Bay at the border of two national parks, Ben Boyd and Croajingalong. It perches above an Australian bush beach of chalky sand and red cliffs covered by tea trees.

New Zealand

Cape Palliser Lighthouse Wairarapa, New Zealand can be reached by a road winding along the edge of the coast. It is surrounded by lovely countryside known for wine and gourmet fare. You can get spectacular views of the surrounding landscape by climbing the 250 steps to the top of the lighthouse.

North America

Canada

Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse Nova Scotia, Canada is both one of the most famous lighthouses in Canada and one of the most photographed. It stands at the eastern entrance to St, Margaret’s Bay. First lit in 1915 it is located in the fishing village of Peggy’s Cove along the South Shore. When it was automated in 1956 the red light was changed to white and later in the 1970s to green. To conform to world standards the light was once again changed to red in 2007.

The US

Maine

The Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine is among the oldest lighthouses in the US built 200 years ago. Its first beacon held whale oil to burn for light, The historic lighthouse is in the prominent position at the entrance to the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor. Today the station is automated but a lot of the original structure remains the same. The US Coast Guard maintains the tower, beacon, and foghorn. The lightkeeper’s former residence is a maritime museum. From the top of the tower, visitors can get fantastic views of the coastline and the surrounding sea.

Massachusetts

The Eastern Point Lighthouse at the eastern tip of Gloucester Harbor in Massachusetts is one of the most popular lighthouses in the US. This landmark was featured in the 2000 movie “The Perfect Storm”. It was built in 1832 with the brick tower built in 1890. The lighthouse station serves as housing for the US Coast Guard.

North Carolina

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, North Carolina is the tallest in the US at 200 feet. It lights up every seven seconds and overlooks one of the most mysterious places in maritime history called the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”. Over 2,000 ships have been wrecked on sandbars in the Diamond Shoals area over the past 500 years. The lighthouse standing here today was built in 1870 with a beacon that can be seen for nearly 20 miles out to sea.

Oregon

Yaquina Bay Light Newport, Oregon was built in 1871. Recognized as a historical site in 1951 the lighthouse was not demolished but became a museum. Then in 1996, the tower was re-lit and it remains as one of the only lighthouses on the West Coast in which the living quarters are within the same building as the light.

South America

Argentina

Le Eclaireurs Lighthouse Tierra del Fuego, Argentina stands on the northern-most islet of the Les Eclaireurs Islets in the Beagle Channel in southern Argentina. Locals know it as the “Lighthouse at the End of the World”. It stands 33 feet high, made of brick, with red and white walls topped by a black lantern. Today it is uninhabited and remote-controlled guarding the sea entrance to Ushuaia.