| Phare de l'Espiguette | |
| Location | Le Grau-du-Roi, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. |
|---|---|
| Year first constructed | 1869 |
| Height | 27 m |
| Intensity | 1000 W halogen lamp |
| Range | 24 nautical miles (44 km) |
| Characteristic | 3 white flashes every 15 seconds. |
The Phare de l'Espiguette (Espiguette Lighthouse) is a 27-meter-high square tower. Built in 1869, the lighthouse is found on the Pointe de l'Espiguette, near to Le Grau-du-Roi on the Gulf of Lion in Languedoc-Roussillon, France.
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L'Espiguette appears on some of the oldest maps: on the Barentzoom map of 1593 it is called Lapiquete and was an island. The channels in the Rhone delta are constantly changing, it was in 1570 the the Grau de Roi opened up, and the the subsequent channeling of this watercourse and the silting of the land along side it led to the fishing village of Le Grau-du-Roi, and the silting made a land bridge through to L'Espiguette. To the south of L'Espiguette is the Mediterranean sea and to the north the Lagune de la Sicarex, which in itself is a protected breeding ground for endangered avian species. The point consists of 197 ha of sand dunes, and is a protected nature reserve. The beaches are popular with tourists, and hosts a large naturist beach.
The square tower was built in 1869, 150m from the mean high tide mark, the silting has continues and it is now situated in sand dunes more than 700m from the water.
A 1000W Halogen lamp throws its beam 24 nautical miles south. It throws 3 white flashes four times a minute.