The 800-year old Lighthouse, has been open to the public year-round since 2001.
As the most popular tourist attraction in Wexford, the team at Hook are delighted to be able to welcome visitors every day again ahead of a summer of staycations. Due to the Lighthouse tower itself being currently unavailable for tours inside due to restrictions, the team’s creativity in lock-down has seen them develop a brand new tour experience for families, and Hook Lighthouse is delighted to unveil the ‘Hook Outdoor Guided Walking Tour’.
The guided walking tours will be available daily and the tour will offer visitors access and insights into the maritime heritage of Hook Lighthouse, the Hook’s ‘Save Our Seas Eco-Education Station’ offering an exhibition of digital and hands-on activities to illustrate the cycle of water: how it is affected by global warming (sea levels, tides, currents, wind, temperature, plastics) along with human interaction and individual responsibility. Visitors will be invited to take a pledge to help reduce sea pollution by using less plastic and disposing of it properly.
The Hook’s expert guides will also share details of the medieval Hook Lighthouse Tower, offering a 360-degree view of the tower as the tour is guided along the top of the Hook walls walkway. Details of the seascape surrounding the majestic lighthouse will inform visitors of the graveyard of 1,000 ships that lays out before them as the guides share some of the fascinating moments of the Southeast’s maritime heritage.
The final stage of the tour will see visitors enjoy an update on the area’s focus on biodiversity including the bedrocks with their outstanding fossils, wild plants, amazing underwater marine life, wild birds, spectacular whales and dolphins and the nature conservation designations of the Hook Peninsula.
The 30-minute walking tour within the grounds of the lighthouse will be available daily (€5 per adult, €2.00 for under 18’s and under 5’s are free) from June 12th onwards, and it is hoped that guided tours of the tower will return as restrictions are eased.
Hook Lighthouse will open from 10 a.m. until 5 pm daily. The outdoor tours will be subject to availability on arrival as each group will include a maximum of 15 persons, the tours are also available for pre-booking online or via 051 397055.
The Hook Lighthouse gift shop will also be re-open and outdoor dining will be facilitated under the national guidelines from June 7th 2021, until that date takeaway snacks and drinks will be served from the Lightkeepers café and ‘The Seahorse’ the outdoor café on the grounds of Hook Lighthouse.
From June 7th the café will be operating with socially distanced seating, while the Seahorse and the BBQ Station will be open with additional outdoor seating available on the extensive lighthouse lawns.
The playground will also be open and sanitised regularly and there are additional sanitation stations located inside and outside throughout the grounds.
Commenting on getting back to business and the new tour experience Acting Manager Lorraine Waters says, “Behind the scenes, we have been working hard to ensure a new offering for visitors here at Hook as we look mainly towards an ‘outdoors’ summer and we are delighted to unveil what is an excellent and informative guided walking tour which will appeal to all of our visitors the young and the not so young.
We are looking forward to having visitors back 7 days per week and we want to assure all of our visitors that our team has taken every step through our re-opening planning process to ensure a safe environment for everyone.”
For further details and online booking see www.hookheritage.ie