Great Castle Head Light

Great Castle Head Light stands on a rocky promontory on the north-west side of Milford Haven estuary. Built in 1870 by James Douglass, it is a small white tower only five metres tall with a lantern room on top. The light sits twenty-seven metres above sea level and marks the entrance to the deep-water channel. A second light, Little Castle Head, stands 890 metres behind it to guide vessels in line. Together they form a leading pair for safe passage. The lighthouse is worth the journey because it shows how coastal lights were organised in the 19th century. Its simple design and bright sectors—white, green or red—tell sailors which part of the channel they follow. The promontory itself is part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, so visitors also see cliffs and seabirds. The site is managed from Milford Haven, six kilometres east along the estuary. Visitors reach the light by walking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. The path winds along the cliff edge with wide views over the water and the hills beyond. Nearby stands a small keeper’s house where the light was once tended by keepers. From the promontory the estuary stretches eastwards, lined by wooded slopes and distant docks. On calm days the red and green sectors of the beam can be seen slicing across the water.