One of the last unspoilt coastlines on the Costa Tropical is east of Torrenueva, especially beyond Calahonda. The Sacratif Lighthouse is one of its landmarks.

The faro (lighthouse) located on the Cerro de Chucho, has been sweeping the sea with its comforting light for seafarers since the 1860s. The spot was chose because of its elevation so close to the sea and because it is situated on the most southerly point on the Coast of Granada.

At the moment, however, it’s on the blink because it isn’t blinking at all and won’t be for a couple of weeks, thanks to a an important component breaking down, for which there is no spare. Consequently, the Autoridad Portuaria de Motril, (under whose authority it comes) decided that it was best to close it down.

Now, in the old, old days, before radio, this would have been a major problem but in these times of ballastic missiles, Beyonce and waining Brillcream usage, we have the good-old Position-Indicating Radiobeacon (PIRB) which works on GPS. Having said that, any old man and his dog out in a rowing boat also has GPS courtesy of his smartphone.

So, the lighthouse is waiting on a spare part to arrive, according to the Port Authorities, but who knows… perhaps they haven’t been paying their electricity bills…

(News: Torrecuevas, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)