The Gatteville Lighthouse, located in the Val de Saire on the point of Barfleur is the second tallest lighthouse in France.
Its construction took five years from 1829 to 1834. During the reign of Charles X it was the the largest building site in France! The creation of what they called the "candle of stone" required 11,000 blocks of granite, cut by hand. The stones, which were piled without any scaffolding, have a combined weight of 7400 tons.
After climbing a flight of 365 stairs lit by 52 windows, you can admire the view over the Val de Saire and the English Channel before appreciating the gigantic dimensions of the lantern. Equipped with a 1600 watt lamp and a dual optical set-up that allows increased light output in foggy weather, Gatteville lighthouse has a range of about 50 km.
At night the four light beams form a giant X that turns at a precise speed, guiding the seafarers and navigators on the Bay of the Seine and the Channel. The beam crosses those of the St. Catherine lighthouse on the Isle of Wight to the north and the Cap LaHave lighthouse in Le Havre to the east.
