Lighthouse Explorers

There are many things which make lighthouse keeping seem less than ideal, but mercury poisoning is surely one of the worst risks of the job!Trigger warnings: mercury poisoning (throughout the video), suicide (4:41 - 5:40)Video Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:41 Chapter One: What the h*ck is mercury?01:58 Chapter Two: Why did they put mercury in lighthouses?03:14 Chapter Three: What did mercury do to the lighthouse people?05:58 Chapter Four: Is there still mercury in lighthouses?06:28 Conclusion: Lighthouse keeping is no walk in the park, folks

Welcome back to another episode of the Lighthouse Explorers podcast!
This week, I had the great fortune to talk to Ed Peppitt to ask him about his travels around England and Wales. These included cycling 3,500 miles, spotting over 300 lighthouses, and raising over £15,000 for Shift MS.
Ed's book, 'The Beacon Bike', is absolutely brilliant. In it, he shares the highs and lows of this huge undertaking. His love and appreciation for the lighthouses jumps off of the page, and he doesn't shy away from the emotional hardships which come with such a challenge. (Ed hadn't ridden a bike in twenty years before completing this endeavour!)
I've been keen to get Ed on the podcast for a while, and I am so pleased with how this episode turned out.
Enjoy!

I've been gone for a while! Let's catch up! It's been an amazing summer for lighthouse trips, from our group adventures to Southwold and Point of Ayr lighthouses, the cancelled Spurn Point trip and what it taught us, a 1000km cycle ride exploring Ireland’s coastal lights, and a lovely chat with a Leasowe Lighthouse volunteer.

Today we travel to Tynemouth, to delve briefly into the history of its 3 lighthouses.

Today we travel together to Southwold Lighthouse in Suffolk, touching on its unusual placement within the town and its TV fame.

If you’re interested in visiting this lighthouse, I’m hosting a group trip on the 28th June 2025. Tickets are available at www.lighthouseexplorers.com.