île vierge

Here it is then. The giant. The tallest stone-built lighthouse in the world. Beautiful, elegant and very impressive, out there on its island of the same name. We first set eyes on this masterpiece in 2005, en route to Île d'Ouessant but at that time we could only gawp at it from the shore; no boats were running to the island then, so we had to content ourselves with our determination to try to get across at another time.

Not until 11 April 2009 did we get that chance and even then we thought it was touch and go, en route to Roscoff from Le Conquet and the ferry back to Blightey. Mrs M had somehow sussed that there might be a boat running at 1400 hours so we had pushed our lunch down at Portsail (notable harbourside flotsam there is the Amoco Cadiz anchor, see snap) and rushed to book in Lilia on what we thought would be a single crossing to Île Vierge. It transpired however that the boat was going and coming back, pretty well on demand, but we got the first outward, notwithstanding. There were just a few folk like ourselves coming over. I am not sure every one who came even climbed to the top.

We spent a very satisfying time on the tiny island and took off up the tower without delay. Superbly built of a grey dressed granite, the inside of the tower is finished in opaline tiles (12,500 of them) and one is greeted by the bust of Léon Bourdelles (top phares et balises man at end of 19C but not the architect) at the foot of the 397 stone steps to the watch room. This is an open tower, so the higher one gets the greater the awareness of just how far down it is . . . 75 metres (82 metres to the  apex of the lantern which is 267ft in old money). The stairs up to the gallery from the watch room below the lantern are steep, open and made of iron. You have arrived.

All this to deliver one white flash of light every five seconds, throwing a beam of light out 27 nautical miles. That's over 50 kilometres – depending where you get your information from of course, there seems to be some variation…

I managed to get a look through an inspection hatch into the lantern, up at the superb first order Fresnel optic, but the lantern chamber is not accessible to us tourist types. The engineering of both lantern and revolving optic is extremely pleasing to look at, over 100 years old but like new. Of course the views from the gallery are extensive, revealing lots of reefs and islands which the lighthouse gives warning of.

Vierge came into service in 1902 having taken five years to construct. The lighthouse keepers were withdrawn in August 2010 and the light is now controlled from Creac'h on Île d'Ouessant. We'll be coming to Creac'h later, have no fear. The old lighthouse of 1845 still stands (painted white) and incorporates the fog station. Vierge is in tip top condition and an absolute joy. I'm sure a lot of folk just 'do' it in the holiday season, but we did detect a good handful of lighthouse fans on our boat crossing back to Lilia on this our last day in France in 2009, before our summer hols later. The Taj Mahal of lighthouses, the tallest phare in Europe, what's not to like. Dashed good show.

You'll gather I took quite a shine to this one . . . JBH illustrations up top; the photos by me.