Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: lighthouse

Showing posts with label lighthouse. Show all posts

Galloway Coast

First of all, apologies for having these photos in reverse order. Basically I took the first photo last and the last photo first if that make any sense!

I can't really remember exactly how I discovered Kippford but I think it was because someone recommended going to Sandyhills Bay which is just down the coast and then it all sprung from that. I think I took in Southerness, Rockcliffe, Kippford as well as Sandyhills that day and have been coming back once a year ever since.I think once a year might be a bit of an understatement but my recent trip there was definitely my first this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Everywhere seems to be a lot busier compared to previous years, I've notice that a lot in The Lakes and Yorkshire Dales as well. Maybe it is due to the fact that no-one wants to travel abroad due to the possibility of facing quarantine on return.

My first stop as always was Carsthorne which was very quiet so I got parked up without any bother. The Solway Firth tide was out which resulted in there being thousands of Oystercatchers on the beach and boy were they making a racket. My photo only shows a fraction of the number. Looking inland, I was treated to a spectacular, ever-changing view of the clouds breaking over Criffel which is the highest hill in the area.

I had a walk along the beach and took photos of the old pier and jetty which were both used for the transportation of Scots to Canada and America during the Highland Clearances of the 1850s before moving on to Southerness with its iconic lighthouse. The lighthouse was built by Robert Stephenson and was first lit around 1800 before finally being decommissioned in 1936. The rock formations around the lighthouse make for some great photos.

I didn't bother going into Rockcliffe as it is a busy little place which makes it hard to park but carried on to its neighbour Kippford instead. There was not a single parking place to be had there, either in the car park or along the main road. I had more or less given up any hope of stopping but as a last resort I thought I'd try going in to Rockcliffe and fortunately someone was leaving the car park as I pulled in.

The stroll round the bay and through the woods to Kippford is only a couple of miles and is scenic as well so walking it was no imposition. My photos were all taken of the cockleshell beach area of the village and all look out over the Saur peninsula to The Solway Firth.

This is another of my 'feel good' places where I can just sit for ages and peacefully take in the view. Feeling revitalised, I set off back up the hill and through the woods to Rockcliffe where I sat overlooking the bay for a short while before retreating back to Cumbria.

Rockcliffe

Sea Thrift, Kippford

Saur Peninsula, Kippford

Kippford

Cockleshell Beach, Kippford

Southerness

Southerness Lighthouse

Caresthorn

Seabreaker

Solway Firth, Carsethorn

Old Jetty, Carsethorn

Oystercatchers

Weathered Shed, Caresthorn

Weather Clearing on Criffel

Rubha Rèidh Lighthouse

A lighthouse on Rubha Rèidh Point was first proposed by David Stevenson in 1853. Building was started by his son, David Alan Stevenson in 1908 and the light was first lit on 15 January 1912. The light came from a paraffin lamp, subsequently converted to electricity and automated in 1986. The original lens, red fog siren trumpet, along with its clockwork timing mechanism were removed and were donated to the Gairloch heritage centre.

It's great to see that the lighthouse at Rubha Rèidh is once again accessible to the general public without them having to run a gauntlet of abuse from the previous owners. The lighthouse was bought by a couple and turned in to holiday accommodation in the early 2000s. They immediately started to stop people from using the road out of Melvaig by putting a sign up saying that it was private property and only to be used by guests of the lighthouse and I believe they also put a couple of gates across the road. This meant that anyone who wanted to visit the stunning coastal scenery of the area were faced with a four mile walk in before they even started and then a four mile walk back out.

Locals and visitors alike took up the cause to get access to the peninsula but it turned out to be a long fight with neither the police or council wanting to get involved although the Highland Council did eventually get involved and gave the owners the ultimatum of either giving access or facing court proceedings. The old owners finally left a year or so ago and the new ones seem to be a lot more amiable. There is now a small car park and even though you are not allowed on to the private land of the lighthouse, you are allowed to freely roam without fear of abuse.

The scenery is stunning with lots of small rocky coves and even a one-time natural harbour called Port an Amaill. Most of the rock cliffs slant down to the sea hence its Gaelic name Rubha Rèidh which means The Flat Headland. We visited in sunshine and pretty calm weather but I would love to experience the place when it is in the grip of a full-on Atlantic storm!

As I said in the last blog, this was our last day in Wester Ross and I don't think we could have bettered it. The morning was spent on a beautiful white sandy beach with stunning views across to An Teallach and the Coigach and Assynt Hills whereas in contrast, the afternoon was spent on a rugged rocky headland with far-reaching views to Skye and The Outer Hebrides.

Pure magic.

Rubha Rèidh Headland

Road down to the lighthouse

Rubha Rèidh Lighthouse

Rubha Rèidh Headland

Rubha Rèidh Lighthouse

Rubha Rèidh Headland

The Costa del Whitehaven

Interesting facts about Whitehaven -

George Washington’s Granny is buried in Whitehaven.
During the American War of Independence, Whitehaven was briefly invaded by American forces. Father of the US Navy John Paul Jones, raided the town in April 1778 . He took the fort, spiked its guns, burned a few coal ships, and made off in his vessel Ranger with three prisoners.
Jonathon Swift Author of Gulliver's Travels who later became Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin was kidnapped by his nurse as an infant and brought to Whitehaven for 3 years and taught to read.
William Wordsworth's uncle Richard lived in Whitehaven and was keeper of Customs for the district and his son was rector at Moresby.
Bounty “mutineer’’ Peter Heywood, who was granted a Royal pardon and escaped the hangman’s rope, once lived in Whitehaven. Peter joined the Bounty which was bound for the South Sea Islands to make scientific observations. Captain Bligh was a strict disciplinarian and as a result there was much discontent among the crew. On arrival at the Friendly Islands this culminated in open mutiny headed by Fletcher Christian, the Master’s Mate.
Whitehaven folk are known as Jam Eaters, supposedly because they can’t afford meat in their sandwiches. This goes back to the mining days of the 18th century.
In the 17th and 18th centuries Whitehaven was involved in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, and the role of British trade in shipping millions of Africans into slavery in the Americas. It grew rich from trade that depended upon slavery: tobacco from Virginia and, most famously, rum and sugar from slave plantations in the Caribbean.

And that's about it...good or bad, that is what Whitehaven is famous for!

Personally I right like the place. The shopping area is pretty run down but the harbour and marina (which have had a lot of money thrown at them over the years) are always busy and a pleasure to walk round. The marina is still being developed, both as a leisure and as a residential area.

Me and Sal paid a quick visit there the other week with our cameras and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours shopping, drinking coffee and taking photographs. The sun was shining which is always a bonus and our drive back to the caravan conveniently went past the Pheasant Inn at Bassenthwaite, which was a double bonus!

Local youth project in Whitehaven

Back to back

Catagorical!

Whitehaven marina

Harbour entrance

Whitehaven Lighthouse

Harbour entrance

Lighthouse and Sal

Whitehaven old harbour

Harbour wall

Sanna Bay, dolphins and Adnamurchan Point

I went across to Ardnamurchan Point when I was in the Highlands last year but unfortunately it was rather a dull day so I don't think I saw the peninsula and lighthouse to their best. Also, on researching for last years blog, I came across photos of Sanna Bay and immediately wished that I had visited there as well as it was only a few miles down the coast. It looked like my kind of place; a sweeping sandy bay interspersed with lots of rocky outcrops and quite untouched by civilisation.

So, as the sun was forecast and I had a free week, a room was booked for a couple of nights in Fort William. Also three more nights were added to my trip so that I could go up to Loch Maree and visit what I consider to be the most stunning part of the Scottish mainland, namely Wester Ross. But more of that in my next blog.

I woke up to clear blue skies which aren't necessarily good for photography but what the heck, I'd take this weather over the weather I had last year any day of the week. The only feasible way to get over to Ardnamurchan is via the Corran Ferry (about ten miles down the road from Fort William). Once across Loch Linnhe, I had a forty five mile drive; a thirty four mile section of which was on single track roads with passing places!

The worst part was from a village called Salen on Loch Sunart to The Natural History Centre at Glenmore which I should imagine was about ten miles in length and pure driving hell with one blind bend after another. A strong cup of coffee to mend shattered nerves went down a real treat in the small cafe at the Centre which, even though remote, was quite busy. The going from then on was a lot easier; the road was still single track but at least you could see a fair way ahead of you.

Sanna Bay didn't let me down in any way shape or form, you only have to look at the photos to see how beautiful it was. I had been there a good while, taken many shots and was making my way back to the car when I noticed something swimming in the bay. A man close by said he thought it was a minke whale but looking at the photos I took, I think it was more than likely to be a dolphin.

This was joined by another three who all headed towards a small group of canoeists and for the next ten minutes or so they swam among them as if playing with them. It was a fantastic moment and one that I shall never forget. I had always longed to see something like this and now that moment had finally arrived. Everyone on the beach was of the same mind and just stopped and watched what was happening. I was particularly proud of the photo I took of the girl stood on the rock with her camera because it seemed to capture that particular moment in time perfectly.

Feeling rather elated I went back to the car and continued to Ardnamurchan Point Lighthouse where again I got lucky with a photo. A fishing boat was heading across the sound and it was positioned perfectly with the islands of Rum and Egg behind it. Being the most westerly point of the mainland gave stunning and far reaching views all round and it was a great place to be. so much co that I sat on a rock with a cup of coffee and just took in the view. Whilst sitting there, I recalled the previous year when NATO was using the lighthouse as a marker for a low flying exercise. The noise of the planes constantly flying over was phenomenal and quite frightening which made it was easy to see where the term "shock and awe tactics" in war comes from.

Reluctantly, I started my long journey back which took me past the bottom end of Loch Shiel and on to the small village of Glenuig in Moidart which sits on the shore of Loch Ailort. I stopped off there for my first ever £5.00 pint of beer and it wasn't even served with a bloody smile! Feeling suitably refreshed and disgruntled, I carried on and soon hit the main road running from Mallaig to Fort Willam, getting back to the hotel at just after eight o'clock. A full day but a very rewarding one and one I wont forget for a long, long time.