Travel

Tony Clayton-Lea explains the joys of a lighthouse holiday

Rugged retreats

Inside the restaurant, there's an elderly couple, quintessentially British; there's a young couple with their baby in tow; there's a group of three couples, friends and partners, away for the weekend for a quiet get together, except they're becoming quite noisy and clearly irritating; there's a thoroughly inlove couple who seem to be basking in the opportunity of precious time together; and there's a man sitting on his own, trying not to feel or look self-conscious and failing miserably.

Inside, all is well with the world: the room is warm, the food is most definitely in the fine-dining category, the candles are giving off the kind of glow that makes a body feel good, and the waiting staff are topping up the wine glasses. Outside? Well, outside it's blowing a Force 9 gale – filthy weather, the rain hitting the restaurant windows with impact and persistence.

The people in the dining room don't care about the weather, however, for they are not going anywhere after their meal. They are staying right where they are because they have nowhere else to go. They are staying right where they are because they are trapped. Welcome to the delights of staying overnight in a lighthouse. Unusual properties, off the beaten track, the middle of nowhere: phrases such as these are not normally used in relation to booking a holiday break.

Lighthouses, however, bring out the adventurous spirit in a person. At the end of January, I stayed in Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel, an imposing but fascinating establishment about five miles from Stranraer. Corsewall, like most other lighthouses in the UK and Ireland, is still a working entity – fully automated from 1993, it was converted into a hotel (Scottish Tourist Board 4-star rated) in 1995.

Corsewall is unusual in terms of lighthouse accommodation in that it is one of the very few that isn't self-catering. It is, therefore, perfect for a weekend retreat without having to worry about bringing along the Weetabix. But what is it like to stay in? While the former lighthouse keepers' rooms have been refurbished and updated to provide decent accommodation, the unique selling point is its location – it's planted right on the edge of rugged and exposed coastline that has witnessed many strandings, collisions and wrecks. The word is bracing.

You needn't travel across the Irish Sea, however, in order to experience lighthouse accommodation. Irish Landmark Trust is the Dublin/Belfast-based non-profit charitable body that restores, oversees and administrates various Irish-based properties, including lighthouses. Owned by the Commissioners of Irish Lights and leased to ILT, there are presently several (self-catering only) lighthouses on ILT's books: Blackhead (Antrim), Galley Head (Cork), Loop Head (Clare) and Wicklow Head.

Visiting a lighthouse on your own is all well and good, but it comes alive with friends and partners. Keep an eye out for the storms, though, and don't forget to bring along your waterproofs, walking boots and peace of mind.