Stay at a Lighthouse
Have you ever stayed at a lighthouse? If you have, you’ll know what a fantastic and truly original experience it is. If you haven’t, it’s time to put it at the top of your bucket list.
Imagine being far from anywhere, but close to everything that’s good for your heart and great for your soul. Fresh air. Incredible views. Surrounded by nature. And with the sea stretching out before you, vast, powerful and beguiling – it’s little wonder people come to lighthouses to propose! Or to celebrate everything special in life: birthdays, anniversaries, family, friendship.
Read on to find out just why they’re such inviting places!
Wild Atlantic Wonders
Just one of the ‘great’ things about many of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland is that you can stay in them. Beautiful Blackhead and St. John’s Point in Northern Ireland both showcase comfortable and characterful self-catering accommodation in quaint, restored lightkeepers’ houses.
As does Donegal’s own St. John’s Point and Fanad Head, Clare Island in Mayo, Loop Head in Clare and Galley Head in Cork, all of which are nestled along the stunning Wild Atlantic Way.
A Lighthouse in the Garden of Ireland
Wicklow Head Lighthouse on the east coast may be a little less wild but it’s certainly a memorably athletic experience. Here, along Ireland’s Ancient East, you stay in the lighthouse tower itself.
With 109 steps from the entrance hall up to the kitchen, it’s pretty breathtaking alright!
R&R in a B&B
Prefer to truly put your feet up on holiday? Mayo’s Clare Island Lighthouse (mentioned above, along the Wild Atlantic Way) is the place for you.
Now a luxury, boutique B&B, it’s the only lighthouse where a delicious dinner, made with the very best of local produce, is served.
Unforgettable Experiences
With all that fresh air and local food, surely you can look forward to a good night’s sleep at a lighthouse? Certainly, the beds are very comfy and the coastal calm is a treat. But be careful of your choice of bedtime reading. Particularly if you are of a sensitive or suggestible disposition.
The visitor books at each lighthouse are a fascinating trove of guests’ stories and drawings about their stays. But some guests, perhaps with more vivid imaginations, have obviously been moved by the history and ‘spirit’ of the place.
One guest at a lighthouse used a page at the back of the visitor book to record the unusual sights and sounds encountered: the constant tapping at the window (despite its elevated position) and the mysterious appearance of wet footprints on the bathroom floor the next morning…
At another lighthouse, a number of guests often record an odd but not unfriendly feeling in the house and constant creaks and noises throughout the night. Now, these are old buildings in highly evocative places. And we all know that there are no such thing as ghosts…
Grab a Getaway
If you’d like to experience life in a lighthouse for yourself, the lighthouses below around the coast of Ireland and Northern Ireland all offer gorgeous accommodation, true to their storied maritime past:
