This year has already been an incredible journey with Lighthouse Explorers, and we’ve had five group trips to some of England and Wales’ most striking lighthouses. In June, we added two more special towers to our adventure: first standing beneath the weathered charm of Point of Ayr Lighthouse on the 1st, and later, heading to the bustling town surrounding Southwold Lighthouse on the 28th.
A map showing the location of the Point of Ayr Lighthouse, and Southwold Lighthouses respectively.
Exploring the Point of Ayr Lighthouse
The Point of Ayr Lighthouse is positioned on Talacre Beach in North Wales. It was the second group trip to take place in Wales (the first being the doomed Nash Point trip. Long story short: the trip took place during one of the October storms last year, and I was the only one who showed up!)
Thankfully, attendance was better for this trip: seven of us traipsed up and down the windswept Talacre Beach.
I camped with a couple of my friends and my partner over the weekend, and explored this area of North Wales. Incidentally, I’d been across the bay on the Wirral a few weeks previously visiting Leasowe Lighthouse. Whilst interviewing a volunteer there, I was told that you could see the Point of Ayr Lighthouse across the water. Sadly, I couldn’t spot Leasowe from Wales.
As seems to always be the case for these Welsh trips, the weather was overcast, windy, and rainy. On Talacre Beach, the wind whipped up the sand, assaulting your face and body if you dared face the wrong direction. I tried to film a few videos facing the wind and had to regularly cover my head to stop my face from being worn away.
A wonderful sense of community at Talacre Beach
It was brilliant to meet the attendees. In 2024, everyone had found the events through Eventbrite. There have still been a few people who stumbled upon the events this year, but mostly, attendees have been followers of the Lighthouse Explorers TikTok, or have come along through word of mouth. I’ve enjoyed not needing to explain the whole proposition to people, as they already know what we’re about. I’m a mad lighthouse lady, and you have to buy into it on some level. It means that there’s a basis of understanding between us.
The walk itself was very enjoyable. I do love having a captive audience of people who not only put up with my onslaught of lighthouse facts but actively want to hear them.
Sadly, the Point of Ayr Lighthouse isn’t open to the public. It was built in 1776 and decommissioned in 1883, and used to guide ships into the Dee Estuary. Locals say it’s one of the most haunted spots in North Wales — although, admittedly, every tourist attraction claims that if someone once saw a shadow move strangely.
In a flash, the weekend was over. Thankfully, I had two group trips planned for June!
Traipsing to Suffolk for Southwold Lighthouse
At the end of the month, I swapped North Wales for the East Coast of England and Suffolk. Southwold Lighthouse is a unique little tower set right in the middle of the town. When it was built in 1887, it would have sat on the edge, but over time, the town grew around it until the lighthouse was penned in on all sides.
If the trip to the Point of Ayr Lighthouse had been gloomy, desolate, and atmospheric (which it was), the trip to Southwold was the complete opposite: bright sunshine, baking heat, and packed with tourists.
When I last visited Southwold in July 2021, I was unable to go up the lighthouse. But as of March 2023, Adnams has opened it to the public for tours, apparently thanks to Princess Anne! What she has that I don’t, I don’t know. The less said the better.
Regardless, this meant it could finally go on the group trip roster! Fortunately, despite the heat, a group of six of us showed up to climb the lighthouse. It was good of them, as when we got to the lantern room I could feel my skin start to sweat off.
Is this the perfect lighthouse to keep?
Inside, the lighthouse has a simple interior: some information boards at ground level, a lot of stairs, a small room for the batteries and the weights that kept time for the lighthouse’s lantern back in the days of keepers, and then the lantern room itself. Three levels and lots of stairs (113 to be exact) connecting them. Classic lighthouse stuff.
Originally, the keepers’ cottages stood right next to the lighthouse, connected by a covered walkway. It would have been quite a comfortable posting: right in the middle of town, and you wouldn’t even have to go outside to check the light. Personally, I’d have snapped that job up! It’s a marked improvement from a remote rock or island lighthouse, with far more creature comforts.
How can you join our next trip?
Visiting lighthouses with a group of like-minded people has been so magical. I’ve felt a strong sense of community, and everyone seems to get along from the start. No matter if you come solo or with friends or family, everyone feels included and emboldened. I’ve felt extremely fortunate to be on these trips and to meet so many wonderful people.
I did have to reschedule the ninth group trip, though, as storms were due to hit Spurn Point last weekend. A lovely man at the Spurn Point Discovery Centre let me know the lighthouse would likely be closed, and ultimately it didn’t feel safe. Long story short: the ninth and tenth trips’ dates haven’t been released yet. The tenth trip will be to Tynemouth! I’m hoping to schedule the trips for August and September.
If you’re interested in coming along, please follow the Eventbrite page or subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already. It would be lovely to see you there!
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