Daily Picture - 68

Quite a pleasant cycle ride today out to Corbiere, followed by a walk across the causeway.  This is the classic location for a picture, with the reflection in the rock pool unfortunately today the weather conditions weren't ideal from a photographic perspective.

The lighthouse was first lit on the 24th April 1874 and it was automated in 1974.  It cost £8,001 to build and is possibly the most photographed location on Jersey.  What I do know is that for the sea kayaker it is a truly iconc landmark.

Lighthouses of Brittany Part 2.

There are endless opportunities for viewing Breton lighthouses from your sea kayak, here are a few more.  They are mainly from the north coast of Brittany.  I might be biased but I think the lighthouses on the north coast generally look more dramatic than those to the south. 

Situated in the Baie de Morlaix, Ile Noire lighthouse was built in 1845, with the keepers house added in 1879.  Paddling in this area is always enjoyable with numerous islands to explore.

La Croix.  Built in 1867 it is situated just to the south west of Ile de Brehat.  In common with some many lighthouses in this area the Germans blew the top of the light as they retreated.  It is always a welcome sight when paddling around Brehat.

Cap Frehel is the largest headland on the north Brittany coast and on clear nights I can see this light from near my house on Jersey.  It is open to visitors a certain times of the year.  The headland is spectacular when viewed from below in a sea kayak or whilst walking along the cliffs.

Sept Iles lighthouse is situated on Ile aux Moines,  part of a delightful archipelago to the north of Tregastel.  This was one of the last lighthouses in France to be manned by keepers.

The Port Navalo light marks to entrance to the Gulf du Morbihan.  This is one of the finest sea kayaking areas anywhere, a mixture of fast tidal streams and world class historic sites.  The lighthouse was built in 1892.

Lighthouses of Brittany

There is something special about the lighthouses of Brittany, particularly when viewed from a sea kayak.  This is a selection of some that I have seen over the years.  Not all of the best quality as some were scanned from slides.  That said Breton lighthouses are amongst the most unique maritime buildings encountered anywhere.

Le Heaux de Brehat.  To the west of Ile de Brehat on the north coast of Brittany it was built in 1840, although the top was blown off by the Germans in August 1944.  Located on an offshore reef the sea kayak is an ideal way to access this light.

Ile Louet is situated in the Baie e Morlaix, near Roscoff on the north coast of Brittany.

25 nautical miles west of Corbiere is the Roches Douvres.  The light was finished being rebuilt in 1954 after it had been destroyed by the Germans 10 years before.  We raised the Jersey flag but the following morning it was a serious crossing of 25 miles in dense fog.  I have to admit that we felt pretty isolated the night we spent on the reef.

L'Ost Pic is located just to the south of Paimpol.  Built in the 1890's I have to admit that the last time I landed there I ended up swimming.

Phare du Paon is situated on the north coast of Ile de Brehat, this is ome of the finest sea kayaking you could find anywhere.  It was originally built in 1860 but like some many lighthouses along this coast it was blown up by the Germans in1944.  It was rebuilt in 1949.

Another lighthouse blown up by the Germans, this light marks the approaches to St Malo.  It was rebuilt in 1949.

Stargazing

Sea kayakers often have a significant interest in lighthouses.  There is something about their location, design and history which attracts us in a way that perhaps no other type of building does.  Some of us have probably been paddling long enough to remember the days when if we were heading out to somewhere with a lighthouse we would pack fresh milk, daily newspapers etc as a gift for the guardians of the light in the hope that we might be invited in.

Over the years I was invited into Beachy Head, the Skerries and the Hanois to name just 3 but as we are all aware automation has had its impact and these visits are a now just a distant memory.

Much has been written over the years about the development of lighthouses and when you are in France, pop into a bookshop to see how many "coffee table" books are available on the subject.  The lighthouses of Brittany in particular have fired the imagination of a generation of photographers.

On the subject of books about lighthouses the other day I was given the book "Stargazing" by Peter Hill.  It is a delightful book about a 19 year old Art student, in the early 1970's who took a job as a relief keeper for the Commisioner of Northern Lights.

He starts his short career on Pladda, an island which I had recently become acquainted with through reading the sea kayak photo blog by Douglas Wilcox. He describes the daily routine of the keeper, expressing his concern about having to undertake the cooking duties whilst learning about the routine required to keep the lights burning.

Considerably younger than many of the other keepers he not only learns about the lighthouses but some of the characters who spent significant proportions of their lives on these remote outposts fulfilling a valuable service.

His second posting was to Ailsa Craig, an island which he eventually spent 8 weeks on, as a consequence of changed rotas etc.  It is interesting to note his observations on the rats, which were so numerous that doors had to remain closed to prevent infestation of the lighthouse buildings.  The first rat was seen on the Island in 1889 when one was killed by a lighthouse keepers dog.  The impact of the colonisation by rats was significant on the nesting sea birds, including the complete destruction of  the puffin colonies.  In 1991 it was decided to eradicate the rats, which involved flying in 3 tonnes of Warfarin that year and another 2 tonnes the following year.  It was an immediate success and the last live rat was seen on Ailsa Cgaig on the 15th April 1991.  By 2009 the puffin colony which had re-established itself had between 50 and 100 pairs of puffins.

In contrast to comparative spaciousness of Ailsa Craig his final lighthouse was Hyskeir, accessed by helicopter it has the Small Isles of Canna, Rum, Eigg and Muck to the north with Coll and Tiree to the south.  It was here that he was introduced to the game of nautical scrabble, a 30 minute time limit and only nautical words allowed, sounds like a must have game on the next sea kayaking trip.

Peter Hill was not destined to be a full time lighthouse keeper, Hyskeir was his final stint on a light, but what a great way to spend a summer.

This book will appeal to anybody who has an interest in lighthouses or sea kayaking off the west coast of Scotland but you will probably enjoy it far more if you remember Captain Beefheart, Carlos Castenada, the Vietnam War and Watergate.

Rock Lighthouses

The site of lighthouses stirs the soul of many sea kayakers, when Chris and myself ran the original Sea Paddler site the pages with pictures of Breton and Scottish lighthouses are consistently amongst the most popular.  Their popularity means that there are numerous books available about lighthouses but very few in English, which are of the quality of this book by Christopher Nicolson.

Nicholson has selected 14 rock lighthouses, of which 13 are possible to visit by sea kayak, Rockall would be pushing the boundaries, for what is feasible for most paddlers.  From Bishop Rock on the edge of the Scilly Isles to Muckle Flugga to the north of the Shetlands they have helped to protect generations of sea farers from the hazards of these isolated rocks.  It is interesting to note the enormous impact of the Stephenson family. Members of this famous family built Bell Rock, Skerryvore, Flannan Isles, Dubh Artach and Muckle Flugga.
There are a large number of fascinating photographs, many of a historical nature but others, which depict the sheer power of the ocean, and the challenges, which faced the builders of these lights.  The photograph of Longships Lighthouse on page 75 proves that Brittany does not have the monopoly when it comes to huge waves crashing over isolated lighthouses.  It is difficult to comprehend the feelings of the keepers in such situations.  It is also interesting to observe the use of semaphore in a number of the pictures, a skill that is rapidly fading into the memory.
Each light is allocated a chapter and the development of the lighthouse is covered in some depth with a wide range of supporting photographs.  What is clear though is that the lights are representative of a particular era in the maritime history of these islands.  The advent of solar power, GPS and remote control have meant that the job of lighthouse keeper is now obsolete.  Therefore, there will no longer be the need to build such graceful structures.  The events of December 1900 on the Flannan Isles are covered in some detail but very little new light is shed on the mysteries of that occurred in this remote corner of north west Scotland.
Over the last few days the drone of Corbiere lighthouse has been a fixture in my house, its signal warning mariners of the treacherous south west corner of Jersey but with the advent of more sophisticated navigational aids and enclosed bridges on ships the need for audible warnings has declined and the fog horns of many of these lights has become a distant memory.  The last Scottish lighthouse to lose its signal was Skerryvore in October 2005
Generations of sea kayakers have responded to the challenge of visiting offshore lights.  Hundreds of paddlers probably experienced their first offshore tidal race as they approached the Skerries off the north coast of Anglesey.  The Longstone is one of the most famous of British lights and it has attracted numerous paddlers to the north east hoping to visit this outer part of the Farnes.  Many of us still have a tick list of places we want to visit and I know that in common with lots of other paddlers a trip past Muckle Flugga is high on the agenda as is a visit to the Smalls, which is the most isolated of all the Trinity House Lights.
Christopher Nicolson has produced a book, which should attract all those people who are interested in the maritime traditions of the British Isles.  From the armchair historian to the active sea kayaker there is something to interest everybody.  It contains a wide selection of photographs and an endless supply of information about Britain’s Rock Lighthouses.  This is just the sort of book to flick through on those dark winter evenings as you look for inspiration for future kayaking adventures but as summer approaches it is time to plan your journeys to some of the most dramatic locations in the British Isles.

Rock Lighthouses of Britain by Christopher Nicolson

Published 2006 by Whittles Publishing

Hardback

ISBN 1-904445-27-6

Price £25.00