Island 469 - Ellan Vretyn, Langness Point, Isle of Man

Ellan Vretyn is a small tidal island, which is located at Dreswick Point in the south east corner of the Langness Peninsula, which is itself at the south east corner of the Isle of Man.  There is a well maintained bridge to Ellan Vretyn because the Langness Lighthouse foghorn is located on the island.  The foghorn looked freshly painted when I visited in early July 2019 but I think it was decommissioned in 1987.  I spotted thrift, yellow bedstraw, thyme, scabious, sea mayweed, white clover, sea campion, hawkweed, bird's-foot trefoil and ling heather growing on the island.

Langness Lighthouse, which was built in 1880, was demoted to the status of a minor light in 1994.  The lighthouse cottages were at one time owned by Jeremy Clarkson.  In 2010 he was ordered by a court to reopen a footpath close to his home, which he had diverted because he claimed it breached his human rights and that members of the public were invading his privacy by looking through one of the windows.  I don't know if he still owns the buildings but you can now rent the cottages as self-catering holiday accommodation.

Bridge to Ellan Vretyn

Foghorn on Ellan Vretyn

Langness Lighthouse from Ellan Vretyn

Looking north from Ellan Vretyn towards the Herring Tower on Langness

Foghorn

Bridge to Ellan Vretyn and Langness Lighthouse

Langness Lighthouse and cottages