I decided to drive to the west coast of Anglesey to South stack lighthouse, this lighthouse has warned passing ships of the treacherous rocks below since its completion in 1809. The 91ft lighthouse was designed by Daniel Alexander and the main light is visible to passing vessels for 28 miles, and was designed to allow safe passage for ships on the treacherous Dublin, Holyhead and Liverpool sea route.
Fortunately it was a calm day, this part of the coastline was once hit by tremendous gale force winds. On the 25th and 26th of Nov in 1859 the royal charter storm hit the coast of Anglesey, it was considered to be one of the most severe storms of the century with a death toll estimated at over 800. There were lives lost on both land and at sea.
We precariously descended the 400 steep steps down to the lighthouse, then crossed the iron bridge, where back in the 1800's the assistant keeper John Jack Jones was said to have been killed by a falling rock and died many weeks later from a compound fracture of the skull, his ghost is still said to roam this desolate place. One of the tour guides told us that there is a white outline on the stones outside believed to be the old remnants of blood from the injured John, but she remained buoyant in her scepticism.
There were a few visitors to the tower whilst we were there, so if there had have been any strange footsteps or doors shutting of their own volition we wouldn't have noticed.
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