Hartland Point

Hartland Point is a high rocky headland on the north-western tip of Devon’s coast. It stands three miles north-west of the village of Hartland and marks the western edge of the Bristol Channel where the Atlantic Ocean begins. The Romans once called this place the ‘promontory of Hercules’. The point rises 325 feet above the sea and is topped by a lighthouse built in 1874 under engineer Sir James Douglass. Trinity House, the lighthouse authority, still maintains the Grade II-listed tower today. The site is worth visiting for its mix of maritime history and rugged scenery. The lighthouse once guided ships up to 25 miles away and was blessed by Frederick Temple, later Archbishop of Canterbury. Before automation in 1984, four keepers and their families lived here in purpose-built houses. A serious landslip in the 1980s forced the demolition of the dwellings to make way for a helipad. The wreck of the MS Johanna, driven aground in 1982, lies less than 400 metres from the lighthouse and can still be seen. Visitors reach the point along the South West Coast Path, which follows the cliff edge and offers wide views over the ocean. The path was once used by coastguards watching for smugglers. Near the lighthouse stands a white-dome radar tower operated by the Civil Aviation Authority for air traffic control. The remains of the MS Johanna lie on the rocks below, a reminder of the dangers of this stretch of coast. The combination of lighthouse, radar station and coastal path makes Hartland Point a place where history and nature meet.