To the lighthouse

Last time I was in the UK, I got into a conversation about my new home, Albion, and happened to mention that it had a lighthouse. The person I was talking to told me an interesting story about an interview he had seen with the last lighthouse keeper in Britain and asked if the Albion lighthouse was still in operation. I had no idea and told him I would make it my mission to find out. Robin, if you're reading, this post is for you!

There are two operational lighthouses in Mauritius, but the Pointe aux Caves lighthouse in Albion is the only one on the mainland. The other one is not, as you may expect, on the Ile au Phare, but on the Ile Plate, off the northern coast. (L'Ile au Phare, or Ile aux Fouquets as it is also known, is in the south and its lighthouse has been in ruins for several years).

Our lighthouse was built in 1910 and is 97 feet high, white with two thick red bands. It sits on a rocky stretch of coast to the south of Port Louis and its signal is 2 white flashes every 15 seconds, which can be seen from up to 29 nautical miles away.

I believe it used to be open to the public, and it has information boards explaining its history and use on the walls, but it was closed after some protesters tried to hang a banner from the gallery protesting against plans for some kind of coal plant nearby. However, on a good day, you can negotiate discreetly with the guy in charge and he may let you go up there anyway. 

At the entrance to the lighthouse, there is a small shrine, presumably to pray for shipwrecked souls, or for the lighthouse keeper himself, climbing the tower on a windy day! It's not for the faint-hearted. We made it to the lamp room at the top, but a combination of howling wind, tiny, hard-to-open door, and fear of being seen meant we chickened out of going outside.

Ladder up to the lamp room

The lamp itself

High technology in this lighthouse!

The view from the windows on the way up was pretty spectacular though. This is Albion. I'm not sure which mountains they are in the background though.

The lighthouse is managed by the Mauritius Port Authority, and one man in particular who has worked on rotation between the 2 operational lighthouses for 33 years. Since 1973, it has been connected to the network of the Central Electricity Board.

The island of La Réunion also has a lighthouse. It just so happens that their lighthouse, white with one red band, is in Sainte Suzanne, the village where the other half of my family-in-law live. It's the last one on the island - there was another but it collapsed during a cyclone - and is no longer in operation. It was closed to the public when I went there last, but it is now open for visits twice a month. I will try to visit it next time I'm there.