Alfanzina

The Farol de Alfanzina was just a stone's throw from our villa and I mean that pretty literally. It stands  above a craggy limestone coastline which is in places hollowed out like a Swiss cheese. I could see it from our bedroom window and at night its reassuring beam infiltrated our red curtains though not enough to wake us.

It was expertly built in 1924, equipped with the latest French lighthouse technology and until the 1950's was powered by diesel. Its distinctive rhythm interwove merrily with the lights of Faro to the east and Cabo San Vicente on the south western tip of Portugal. On clear nights, its warning or welcoming light can still be seen by mariners who are twenty five miles away upon  the wide Atlantic.

Above you can see the western approach to Farol de Alfanzina from the clifftop path that begins in Caroveiro. It was a daunting path that didn't always boast fencing. Below and I am closer to the lighthouse but in front of me is a massive sink hole that leads down to sea level caves. Later the current lighthouse keeper told me that when showering he can sometimes hear waves crashing below him  or sounds from outboard motors.

Above - the owner of our villa must have commissioned  a traditional tiled picture of the lighthouse. It was the first thing you saw when passing through the villa's blue gates. Below - the lane adjacent to our rental property led directly to the lighthouse.

On Friday, I spotted a notice on the lighthouse's red gates. It said that guided visits to the place would happen at 14.00, 15.30 and 16.30. I was down there with Stewart and Little Phoebe for the final visit of the day. At the last minute, an older English couple who had been walking the coastal path hurried along to join us. We were met by the temporary lighthouse keeper, João - a lean man in his early fifties dressed smartly in a maritime uniform. He spoke pretty good English and did not overwhelm us with information.

João led us to the top via a  winding stone staircase and two fixed wrought iron ladders that brought us right up to the light chamber itself. Phoebe overcame this challenge with far less trepidation than I experienced up there.

View from the red gates

In the light chamber at the top

Above - the landward view from the top of the lighthouse. Our villa was the one with two lampposts by the hedge. If you look closely you can make  out a figure on the balcony That's Shirley looking our way.

Below - not an entirely original view of the lighthouse's spiralling stairs. Even so I rather like this photograph and I am glad I remembered to snap it.