As mentioned in my last post, the Association of Lighthouse Keepers‘ Isle of Man event was over, but I still had one more task to do before I left the island. I’d arrived on the Isle of Man with five lighthouses left to get a close look at. With the lights in Ramsey and Laxey now visited, it just left the slightly trickier Derbyhaven light to reach. The only reason Derbyhaven Lighthouse can be difficult to reach is that it is on a tidal breakwater that was built to allow shelter for Derbyhaven Bay. More on that later though.
With low tide predicted to be around 4.30pm there were plenty of hours to play with before heading to Derbyhaven. I’d agreed to spend the day with John, Steve and Lianne as they continued their trig-bagging adventures. They had three in mind and it didn’t get off to a great start with the first trig surrounded by cows and calves. After satisfying ourselves with seeing it from a distance, not wanting to disturb the cows if they were going to get funny, we set off for the next one. Parking near the entrance to the beach at Sartfield near Jurby we set off heading south and it quickly became clear that a bit of a climb up the grassy bank was required to reach the trig here. I was quite happy at this point to sit on the empty beach and just enjoy the sights and sounds (while also dealing with emails relating to the second Isle of Man trip which was starting just a few days later), and let the others get on with it.
Cronk ny Arrey Laa was the final trig pillar on the list for the day and it was a great walk up to it from the nearest road. The views from the top of this hill were superb and it is clearly frequently visited as the large cairn at the top is surrounded by some clear little paths that allow you to enjoy the view from every single angle.
After lunch in Kirk Michael it was time to head for Derbyhaven. We stopped at a little grassy area and parked up and it seemed like the tide was low enough to walk across without getting wet feet. It’s always a bit of a worry with walking on tidal sections of a beach as you never know how soft the sand might be, but thankfully it was okay here and I didn’t at one point wish I had my wellies with me, which is always a good sign. We took a slight detour on the way out to avoid the worst of the puddles that remained, but it was all quite straightforward.
The breakwater is much bigger than it appears from the shore, but it does have a very handy slipway leading up to it. It’s actually a really impressive structure. I’ve done a little research about the light and the pier in the general. When it was constructed in 1842-3 it was built, at a cost of £3,524 on the solid foundations of the North Rock. This, presumably, would have helped no end in the construction process. Originally the plan had been to build a larger breakwater like the one in Plymouth which would only leave gaps for ships to pass through on either side, but the smaller design was chosen instead.
While we walked along the breakwater John said that it looked like the breakwater could do with a bit of pointing as there are gaps between each of the large stones. I’ve since found an IOMToday article from 2020 though that suggests that instead of pointing the breakwater, which is in need of repair, ‘there are now plans to drill some 4,000 holes into the blocks to anchor steel reinforcing mesh and then entomb the carefully-crafted stone blocks in a ’concrete overcoat’.’ This seems a real shame to me as it looks great close up.
Though the Manx Electric Railway Society website features an article stating that a light exhibited in Derbyhaven from 1650 was the first navigation light on the Isle of Man, the current breakwater light was not added until 1946, as confirmed by the date engraved above its door. It’s another very Manx-style harbour light, much the same as the Peel Castle Jetty light and the pair in Laxey.
I was quite sad to see that the lighthouse is now disused. I wasn’t aware that this was the case. I’ve done some research into when the lighthouse was replaced by the LED on a skinny tripod (not as catchy as ‘lantern on legs’, but you get the idea). It seems the new LED light was already in place in 2020 and I imagine it wasn’t long before that it was introduced. It’s a great shame. Of course the tower is still used as a daymark, but it would have been nice for the LED to at least been placed inside the lighthouse rather than separately.
Still, it was my final Manx lighthouse and I had reached it. Eventually bidding the Derbyhaven farewell, it was time to head back to Douglas and get ready to leave the island the following morning after what had been a brilliant five days doing one of my most favourite things. There is nothing like a good lighthouse bagging trip with likeminded people to really get you back into the swing! 🙂
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