Point of Ayre Winkie

The Point of Ayre Lighthouse is located on the Isle of Man, at the north-eastern end of the island. It was built in 1818 and is the oldest operational lighthouse on the island. The lighthouse was designed and built by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of the famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson.

The lighthouse has a distinctive cylindrical tower with a balcony and lantern, and features a white tower with two broad red bands and a black lantern. It stands at a height of 30 meters and has a focal height of 32 meters above sea level, giving it a nominal range of around 19 nautical miles. The light characteristic is a pattern of four flashes of white light every twenty seconds.

The Point of Ayre Lighthouse has an interesting history, with a smaller light, known as a 'winkie', being built in 1899 to compensate for the continuous accumulation of shingle and gravel deposited by strong currents. The 'winkie' light was repositioned in 1950 and eventually discontinued in 2010. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1993 and is now maintained by the Northern Lighthouse Board. The fog signal at the lighthouse was decommissioned in 2005, due to the assumed reliance on GPS and modern shipping guidance systems.

Light and tower

The light has a focal height of 10 metres. The light has a range of 19 nautical miles.