Heraklion Fortress Lighthouse, Crete

This is a quite unique lighthouse, located on the outer wall of a very impressive Venetian fortress in Heraklion harbour. Apparently, the stone tower was originally 12m high but it is now a mere half of that. The fortress is apparently 16th century but the light dates from 1864.

Running out of time, I did not have the time to pay the entrance fee and walk the fortress, so I knew I would have to content myself with a long shot. However, the nearer you get to the fortress, the less parking spaces there are and also the more the lighthouse itself is hidden by the rest of the fortress. Therefore, these pictures were taken from the car park described in the South Breakwater Light entry below.

Heraklion South Breakwater Light, Crete

Another long range photo, I'm afraid, due to the lack of time (see Ag Ioannis below)
Located on the south breakwater. Taking the road from the airport, heading into town, you come to a large signalled junction, with a broad dual carriageway road heading down to the "Port" At the end of the road is the port carpark from where I took the photos.

Heraklion North Breakwater Light, Crete

When is a lighthouse not a lighthouse? What is the difference between a light and a lighthouse? I presume that the answer is that if it has accommodation or a room attached, then it counts as a lighthouse.
This light is actually just visible from the airport at Heraklion. I found it by entering Heraklion at the airport turnoff, then heading parallel to the coast into the town centre, judging when the time was right to turn off to the front. Lack of time prevented me from walking the massive breakwater to the light.

Agios Ioannis, Crete

Right, as you've probably already guessed, the above photo is not the Agios Ioannis light - let me explain!
We were staying in Plakias on the south coast of Crete in the Rethymnon prefecture. The rest of the party were visiting Rethymno, which I had done the year before, so I asked if I could take the car and round up a few lighthouses. I was told yes with the proviso (on account of my antisocial behaviour) that I left around the same time as everyone else and I was to be back in Plakias by around 3.30pm when the others were due back.
Consequently I left Plakias around 9.40, drove to Rethymno, then Heraklion, then headed for Agios Ioannis. Delayed through Quad Bike City aka Malia, I realised that by this stage, I would be hard pushed to do this lighthouse and the three in Heraklion.
Still I decided to press on. There seemed to be a road branching off from Neapoli heading towards Elounta, which I intended to take. However, the only signpost was for Neapoli, so I continued, thinking it must be coming up soon. It was only when I arrived in the conglomeration of Agios Nikolaos that I realised I'd missed it.
So, now seriously short of time, I ploughed north up the headland, past Elounta and gaining fabulous views of the former leper colony of Spinalonga on the way. After Elounta though, the signposting got very vague, my map didn't seem to correspond and I made several wrong turns. The trick appears to be that if the road is heading in the right direction, take it, and don't mind the signposting.
When I finally got to the last bit of headland itself, it appeared from afar that there was one road going around the base of the cliffs and one over the top. I have no idea if I chose correctly but I went for the latter. A tiny white handpainted sign marked "Ag. Iwonnios 5km" meant I left the road and onto a concrete track. This was okay for a while and gradually disimproved the further I got. Finally when I got to the area of wind turbines, I was starting to have serious concerns for the safety of my car in the huge potholes, so, way behind time, I turned around and headed back for Heraklion, finding the Neapoli road which, I estimate, saved me about an hour!
As it happened, they delayed in Rethymno, so I had another hour, which could easy have seen me walk from the wind turbines to the lighthouse and back, but I wasn't to know.
The picture below shows what I missed.

Bug Light, Duxbury Pier, Plymouth

And to end with, we go back to where it all began. On our final day, we visited Plymouth, where a pretty momentous event took place nearly 400 years ago. Walking along the front, I spotted far out what appeared to be a lighthouse.
Bug Light is another sparkplug-style lighthouse, actually the oldest one in the US, having been built in 1871. It is however becoming dilapidated and needs some restoration pronto. Despite its name, it is not located on a pier.

Gay Head Light, Martha's Vineyard

A very familiar lighthouse, the most famous of the five on the island. Named Gay Head by early British sailors after the brightly coloured cliffs, the light here dates from 1856, though the history of the station here goes back to the previous century. Its proximity to the cliffs may eventually spell its doom, though they may do a Highland Light and move it back from the cliff top.

Edgartown Harbour, Martha's Vineyard

Expertly taken - ho hum - from the window of the coach as we enjoyed a rapidfire 500 words a minute tour of the island. Chappaquiddick lies behind the stretch of water where Ted Kennedy swam to safety in 1967.
A light was built here in 1828 but it was severely destroyed by the great hurricane of 1938. The current light was shipped here from Crane's Beach in Ipswich MA two years later.