RNLI Lifeboat Station at Roa Island
Barrow Lifeboat station (located at Roa Island) is the busiest of the 4 RNLI stations in Cumbria. It is built on concrete stilts because the tides can be very high on this coast.
abandoned wreck - approaching Roa Island
Someone has named this boat Petal – I wonder if that was her name when she was seaworthy? Abandoned, and resembling the carcass of a dead whale, she now provides a sad but fascinating composition for passing photographers. The location is the beach at the side of the Roa Island causeway – approaching Roa village.
John - skipper of the Piel ferry
John is also a local taxi driver, and he’s the man to see if you have an enamel bath requiring restoration!
Royal Mail red looks so vibrant in the afternoon sun. The beacon looks like a pencil in the sand from this viewpoint.
Rampside postbox
Filed under: Alan, ferry, lifeboat, roa island | Tags: ferry roa piel island, lifeboat station
Roa Island lifeboat station
this is the 5th Roa Island lifeboat station. The first was built in 1864 and this one was opened in 2001. The pier is where the Piel Island ferry (12 passengers max) arrives and departs. Be careful in high winds – on our last visit a resident told us that she was blown off!
Rampside beacon
Another shot of Rampside’s wonderful ‘listed’ beacon – taken in late January’s afternoon sun. The tower is 46 ft high and I estimate it to be about 5 feet square. On the side facing Piel, the bricks have been rendered with a white coating (now quite flaky) which makes it stand out so well in the sunlight.
When I was at Rampside in April 2009 (I stopped at Clarke’s Hotel which provided a view of the beacon from the bedroom window) the light didn’t appear to be working – although most accounts say that it still flashes. That’s a piece of research for my next visit. I’ll report back!
starting the day
Try not to panic when the ferryman arrives and picks up a tiny rowing boat which he carries down the jetty! His beetle-like shell is NOT your conveyance to Piel Island. He’s about to row out to where the real ferry is moored. ‘Enterprise 2’ – a far less alarming prospect – will be with you shortly.
Leading Light 