With any trip that involves a boat there is always the risk that it just won’t happen because of poor sea conditions. It’s just the way it is and something you grow accustomed to accepting. It’s just never guaranteed and, for some reason, it seems this is often the case moreso for visiting rock lighthouses than any others in my experience. I recall preparing the post ‘To Skerryvore or not to Skerryvore‘ as that really was touch and go as to whether we would make it there or not.

The beginning of this week was almost a repeat of that, although actually this time the boatman wasn’t even sure that we should attempt it. For the first day of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers‘ Cornwall event I’d organised a trip to see Wolf Rock Lighthouse with the same boat going out twice to make sure the whole group got a chance to see it.

Then Sunday came and I received the news from Mark at MJ Marine in Penzance to say that the weather wasn’t looking good for Monday, but he did suggest merging the Wolf Rock Lighthouse trip with the Longships Lighthouse boat trip we were due to do on Tuesday. It seemed like a sensible plan so we went with that. I was tempted to call this post ‘Wolfie Longships’ to reflect the merging of the two into one trip, but resisted as I know not everyone ‘gets’ my odd ways, so I’ve buried it in here!

However, more bad news came on Monday afternoon when Mark reported that the conditions weren’t looking good for Tuesday or for the rest of the week for reaching the lighthouses. He offered a sail around Tater Du Lighthouse instead which was just a short 30-minute trip to the west of Penzance. This was all going to happen and then, just after 10pm on Monday night, I hear from Mark again to say that the forecast had improved and it might be possible to run the Wolf Rock and Longships trips after all. He suggested we meet at 8am in the morning and make a decision.

Gathering at the boat the following day, Mark seemed fairly confident the first group could make it to both rock lighthouses, but wasn’t sure if the second group would. As someone due to be on the first trip I would normally have been delighted, but as the event organiser it is always different and one of the worst situations is when half a group get to do something and the other half don’t.

Anyway, we set off on the first trip and it was a bit bumpy in places and quite wet too, but it wasn’t awful by any means. I certainly didn’t feel unsafe at any point. It took a long time to get around to Land’s End where Longships Lighthouse came into view, but we had a more remote fish to fry prior to that. Rather amusingly, one of the group members spotted what he thought was Wolf Rock Lighthouse, and although he was convinced it was the tower it turned out to be just a buoy. It’s unlikely he’ll live that down anytime soon!

More time passed and then Wolf Rock was there, slowly getting closer and closer until we arrived. What a sight it was to see. I recall a couple of other ALK members mentioning that although it was very overcast that morning the sky suited these amazingly remote rock lighthouses, giving them a far more dramatic look.

The conical beacon that sits next to Wolf Rock Lighthouse was the lighthouse’s predecessor and is actually what makes this one more recognisable at Wolf Rock. Now that the Trinity House-owned rock lighthouses feature a helideck on top, it can be hard to tell the difference between them.

Never one to miss out on a bit of excitement, Joe the Drone went for a fly around too and put the rest of our pictures to shame with the results as usual!

Next we were off to Longships Lighthouse. This one is visible from Land’s End so doesn’t quite have the remote feel about it that Wolf Rock has. What it lacks in relative remoteness it certainly makes up for in coastal geology though. From Land’s End it looks like it is surrounded by some rocks, but when you get a closer look you realise just how many rocks there are littered around. It’s quite beautiful to see.

Joe the Drone had a quick fly around here too, grabbing even more fantastic pictures.

There was a bit of a divide in opinion between ‘which rock lighthouse we had seen that day was the best’. I would have chosen Wolf Rock, absolutely, because of its remoteness. The remoter the better in my opinion. Others, quite understandably, chose Longships because there was more to see around it. There’s no real right answer with these things, it’s just opinions, and different opinions are what makes the world a more interesting place.

We needed to get back in time for the second boat load to have a chance of getting out and back before the forecast bad weather arrived. Shooting along the coastline to Penzance, we took a brief stop at the Minack Theatre. I’d first become aware of this when I was into writing plays (and was actually working on one to be performed in the open air as part of my university course) and it looked amazing with that fantastic clifftop location. It was interesting to see it from the sea too as you get a view of the modern building that’s been constructed there that is apparently the changing rooms for the actors.

Nearing Newlyn, we stopped for a little longer on the way back to get some pictures of Tater Du Lighthouse. This one is quite impressive from the land, but it’s definitely better from the sea. The wonderful design of the lighthouse really stands out and the location at the bottom of the long flight of steps is just perfect. I appreciate this one a lot more now that I’ve seen it from this angle. It was also nice to see the walking route from Lamorna Cove which is a good route to take to it by land.

When you get back to Penzance by boat it’s very obvious where you are heading for as the lovely little white lighthouse sits on the end of the pier. It was a nice one to finish the trip with.

Moments later we were alongside the pier and ready to swap with the second group. I’m pleased to report that they all made it out to both Wolf Rock and Longships too. Phew! 🙂