Whilst talking to Geoff Saunders on the Lighthouse Explorers podcast, he touched upon the Dungeness lighthouses. He mentioned Derek Jarman (film maker, artist, gay activist, and more), his ties to the area, and the beautiful desolate landscape.
It’s rare to get two lighthouses within walking distance, and rarer still to see two which are so dramatic. The landscape is reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic film. You half imagine someone coming out of their house with a large shotgun and a cowboy hat to chase you away.
The beautiful flat landscape complements the two towers perfectly. The new lighthouse has a white and black daymark and was built in 1961, 57 years after the Old Lighthouse (lit in 1904).
These lighthouses were obvious choices for a Lighthouse Explorers Group Trip. Our small group travelled over to Dungeness on Sunday 16th June, to go up the Old Lighthouse. The group was particularly small as I’d accidentally set our booking system to end a week early… woops!
We arrived in the afternoon and were instantly taken aback by the wild flowers scattered across the beautiful landscape. The lighthouses themselves towered over us, and we made haste to get into the Old Lighthouse as quickly as possible.
Upon entering the lighthouse, you’ll have to purchase tickets for around £5 each. This grants you admission to go up the lighthouse and free rein to explore to your heart’s content. Each level has news articles, fact sheets, and lighthouse keeper memorabilia. There are a fair few stairs, but the platforms offer some reprieve for your hamstrings.
At the top of the lighthouse, you can go up the mildly perilous ladder and into the lantern room itself. That’s not all, you can also clamber out of the lantern room and onto the balcony around the lantern. We almost got blown away. I’d recommend keeping your feet firmly on the platform and not wearing hats which are prone to flight.
After getting our fill of the sights, after getting quite cold, we began the climb down the lighthouse.
Fortunately, nearby is a railway with a lovely café for some post-lighthouse ice creams and drinks. They also have a lovely selection of lighthouse memorabilia. I physically couldn’t walk away without a small red and white lighthouse which doubles up as a tea light holder. In my defence, a store of lighthouse memorabilia is an unfair test of my self restraint.
If you’re interested in coming along on a Lighthouse Explorers group trip, you can follow the Eventbrite page here. That’ll ensure you get updates when I schedule our trips! I’ll also update the website on the ‘Lighthouse Explorers Group Trips’ page.
Thank you to my lovely attendees, and I’ll see you at our next event!
Lighthouse Explorers 