Les Hanois Lighthouse

Les Hanois stands on a rock off Guernsey's southwestern corner, a granite tower completed in 1862 on a reef that had wrecked ships for centuries, and it was built with dovetailed interlocking blocks, a technique developed here and used afterwards on rock lighthouses everywhere. It was automated in 1996. The best view is from the Pleinmont cliff path, with the tower standing out in the swell. Before it was built the reef was known for taking ships that mistook the passage, and a naval loss here in the 1850s finally forced the decision to light it.

What you actually see

• The granite tower - the 1862 lighthouse on its reef.
• The dovetailed blocks - the interlocking technique first used here.
• The reef - the rocks that made the light necessary.
• The cliff view - the tower seen from the Pleinmont path.

When to go

April to October is the season for the cliff paths. Clear days show the tower best from land. Winter storms make the headland dangerous.

Honest expectations

There is no landing and the lighthouse can only be seen from the cliff or from a boat. It is a good distance offshore, so binoculars help. The cliff path is exposed.

Nearby

Pleinmont is the viewpoint, and Fort Grey is north.