Castlemaine Beacon

This is Castlemaine Beacon, built at least before 1866, and standing severely damaged at the top of a spit of  land leading out into the bay from Glenbeigh. The spit of land is called Rossbehy Strand.

We set out walking up the beach to find this beacon, which had been forsaken by CIL in 2010. It was very very misty and we weren't sure if we could actually see it if it was off-shore.

Rossbehy Strand though has altered greatly in the past ten years. Erosion of the dunes at the northern end of the spit of land has turned the most northerly section into an island except at low tide. And, as we learned later, the storms over the past few years had finally put paid to the tower. It no longer exists. The photo above is an old photograph.

The good news is that a replica of the tower, using much of the brickwork of the original, is currently being erected next to the local football field. Log in to Facebook page (www.facebook.com/glenbeigh.ie) for progress reports.

Replica tower unveiled - see here