Tridrangar Lighthouse - the most secluded place on Earth
"The lone Tridrangar lighthouse off the coast of Iceland is located at an altitude of about forty meters above the raging Atlantic Ocean. It is difficult to imagine a more secluded place than this fragment of civilization at the end of the world, on a stone cliff, from where amazing views open.
The lighthouse is located on the highest of the three nearby rocks. From a certain angle, it seems that this rock called Háidrangur is sharp, but in fact, it is quite flat and wide. And the only way to get there is by helicopter. One of the main conditions necessary for flying to the island is clear, cloudless weather. And for Iceland, this is not a frequent occurrence.
Lighthouse Tridrangar on the island of Westman off the coast of Iceland was built back in 1939. At that time, helicopters had not yet been used, so building on an inaccessible cliff in the middle of the ocean was an incredibly difficult task.
“First of all, we needed to pave the way to the top of the cliff. Experienced climbers from the Vestmannaeyjar islands helped us with this. We delivered drills, hammers, chains, and clamps for securing chains for them. Very close to the top there was no way to cling to it, so one of the climbers knelt, the second got on his back, and the third climbed on both of them and only then was able to reach the top. It’s hard for me to convey how I felt while watching this incredibly dangerous procedure, ”recalled one of the workers who took part in the construction of the lighthouse in the 30s.
Previously, on this inaccessible rock island, the rangers lived, who were engaged in maintenance of the lighthouse and alternately replaced each other. For many decades, workers travelled here in a boat to climb a dangerous height after a difficult climb among the rocks.
Today the lighthouse is fully automatic. Sometimes workers come here to check the state of the lighthouse, to correct possible problems. And the views from here are simply unbelievable."
