Bull Point Lighthouse
A practical guide to the working lighthouse beyond Mortehoe, its cliff-edge story and how to view it from public coast-path land.
Short answer
What Bull Point Lighthouse is
Bull Point Lighthouse is a working Trinity House light on the coast beyond Mortehoe, north of Woolacombe. It is worth seeing for the maritime story, the exposed headland setting and the view from the public coast path. It is not a visitor attraction where you should expect to enter the operational lighthouse station.
For most visitors, the sensible way to include it is as part of a Mortehoe coast-path walk. The National Trust's Morte Point and Bull Point circular coastal walk follows the coast path from Mortehoe towards Bull Point, passing Rockham Bay before the lighthouse and then continuing beyond it.
Viewpoint
Where you see it from
The public experience is from the coast path around Bull Point, with the lighthouse seen in its headland setting rather than as a building tour. Stay on public paths, follow signs on site and treat the station, cottages, service areas and any gates or notices as private or operational unless current signage says otherwise.
From the path, the main value is context. You can read the lighthouse against the same rocks, coves and exposed sea that made this coast difficult for vessels. Looking back towards Morte Point gives a sense of North Devon's maritime reputation. Inland, the walk ties naturally back to Mortehoe's village history.
Maritime story
Why a light was needed here
Trinity House describes Bull Point as a light built to guide vessels navigating off the North Devon coast. That matters because the headland is not gentle from land either: the path passes high cliffs, steep valleys, rocky coastal footpaths, secluded coves and open water. The lighthouse is part of that navigation story.
For the wider local context, pair this page with North Devon shipwrecks and North Devon heritage. Those pages cover wrecks, harbours and local settlement. Here, keep the focus narrow: Bull Point helps explain how an exposed, beautiful walk is also a working seascape.
History
The 1879 light and the 1972 cliff movement
The first Bull Point Lighthouse was built in 1879. Historic England Archive holds an 1879-1900 albumen print showing the bay at Bull Point with the lighthouse partly visible in the background, placing the original light in its Victorian coastal setting. Trinity House says the first station operated on the headland for 93 years before serious ground movement was reported in September 1972.
The failure was not a small maintenance issue. Trinity House records that on 18 September 1972 the Principal Keeper reported movement around the engine room and passage to the lighthouse, with fissures opening up. In the early hours of 24 September, part of the cliff face crashed into the sea and further ground subsided, cracking walls and partly collapsing the engine and fog-signal station.
Construction on a replacement lighthouse began in 1974, using equipment from the old lighthouse where possible. Trinity House now describes Bull Point as the 1975 lighthouse that replaced the earlier 1879 light. It was automated in 1975 and is monitored from Trinity House's Planning Centre in Harwich. The fog signal was discontinued in 1988.
On the day
Is it worth adding to a Mortehoe walk?
Yes, if your group likes coastal history, open views and a destination that gives the walk a purpose. Bull Point is a good fit for walkers who want more than the shorter Morte Point walk, but treat it as exposed coast-path terrain rather than a casual viewpoint stop.
It is less suitable if you are hoping for an indoor attraction, a lighthouse tour, a cafe stop or guaranteed wildlife. The National Trust route describes the wider Morte Point and Bull Point circuit as challenging, with steep, rocky coastal paths, high cliffs, steep valleys, steps and wet-weather slipperiness. Children should be supervised and dogs kept under close control.
Rockham Bay can sit naturally in the same outing because the National Trust route passes it between Morte Point and Bull Point. Mortehoe village also makes sense before or after the walk. If wildlife is part of the appeal, use North Devon wildlife as background only; the path may give chances to look, but it cannot promise sightings.
Before setting off
Weather, daylight and signs matter
Check the current National Trust route information, the weather and daylight before setting off. The path around Bull Point is not a tide-shortcut page and this guide does not suggest any sea-level approach. Stay away from cliff edges, avoid poor visibility or high winds, and turn back if conditions feel wrong.
On site, signs and barriers take priority over anything you read online. Coastal land changes, operational needs change and weather can make a familiar path feel different. The right plan is simple: use public paths, respect the working lighthouse property and leave enough time to return to Mortehoe in daylight.
Checked 13 July 2026
Sources used
- Trinity House Bull Point Lighthouse for the 1879 original light, 1972 ground movement and cliff collapse, 1974 replacement construction, 1975 automation, monitoring from Harwich and fog-signal discontinuation.
- Historic England Archive item JRC01/01/059/038, dated 1879-1900, for the Victorian image context.
- National Trust Morte Point and Bull Point circular coastal walk for public route context, Rockham Bay wording, exposed terrain, wet-weather slipperiness, steps, high-wind caution and dog/child safety notes.