Follow us as we attempt to the Lifeboat Stations Challenge, visiting all of the RNLI lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland. You can see which stations we have been to and where we still need to visit on the map at the end of this post.
On Monday 19th September 2022, we started our challenge to visit each of the RNLI Lifeboat Stations in the UK and Republic of Ireland. (We remember the date as it was the day of the late Queens funeral).
We didn’t particularly have a reason in mind when we first started. We have developed a love of travel as the girls have grown older, especially the coast and thought it might be a fun challenge.
We have a particularly close association with the RNLI as both Mr C and Middle Daughter work for the RNLI as beach lifeguards. We don’t have a particular charity campaign set up but have been donating to the RNLI along the way and many other people have started donating too as a result of seeing our escapades.
Our first Lifeboat Station to visit was Morecambe in the North West (We live in the North West). We are thinking that our last will be Beaumaris on Anglesey. We would love it if people came to celebrate the end of our Lifeboat Stations Challenge with us … but we are a long way off that yet!
So, how many lifeboat stations are there in the UK and Ireland?
238! Doesn’t sound like that many? It’s a much bigger challenge than we first realised – The most we have managed to do in a day is 5 and that was some doing. We were on our way down to Pembrokeshire, where we were staying for a few days.
What transport are we using for the Lifeboat Stations Challenge?
We are currently travelling everywhere in our rickety old Honda CRV. The miles are mounting up quickly – Our last trip to Devon where we managed 10 lifeboat stations, added more than 1000 miles.
We are hoping to progress to a camper van in the next 12 months though (Finances permitting). We have found that booking more than 3 nights in one area means that we are limited to how many lifeboat stations we can fit in, without travelling too far back to our base.
How long will it take to visit all the Lifeboat Stations?
There is no set timescale but are thinking it will probably take around 5 years – We both have jobs and are mainly limited to school holidays now. We also don’t want to make everything we do to revolve around lifeboats so only do a couple of days station spotting each break. We also love exploring overseas too so sometimes holidays abroad – We’ve done Croatia and Dubai this year.
So, how many lifeboat stations have we done so far?
As of end of October 2024, we have done 78 Lifeboat Stations – This doesn’t sound that much in just over 2 years, but it has been HARD (and expensive)!
What do we do when we get to a Lifeboat Station?
It depends. Some are really difficult to reach so all we can do is take a picture as close as possible. Workington in Cumbria was in a secure area of the Docks, so we had to take a picture through the fence. Fishguard (Number 48) was similar but we managed to drive passed security to sneak a quick pic and scooted out of there as soon as possible.
We try to visit the stations during daylight hours when they are open and have met some incredible characters. Chatting to one of the volunteers in Llandudno was brilliant, he told us about relocating to the area and how it had changed his life.
We got speaking to the Station Manager at The Forth Bridges who was getting ready to go out on a training exercise and also scatter the ashes of a local resident.
Our visits rely on the information that is at the Lifeboat Station. Sometimes there is information about recent rescues, sometimes there are fundraising activities or training exercises going on.
Who is doing the Lifeboat Stations Challenge?
We have a rule that both Dermot & I have to be present for the lifeboat station to count. The girls have been with us for a lot of them, but it’s mainly Tara. We completely get it when she’s had enough though and chooses not to get out of the car.
We have been accompanied by a friend, Sue in Portishead (49) and my Mum came away for 4 days during the summer to the North East. She was really good at noting information about certain boats and reading about the history of each station.
If you would like to join us at any of our lifeboat station visit, please shout and I’ll try to arrange to let you know when we might be near you. We love receiving pictures of when you are seeing Lifeboat Stations too – keep them coming!
Are independent Lifeboat Stations included?
No, these are not included in the 238 lifeboat stations but we do try to pay a visit to any independent stations that we pass. We know that at any point they could be incorporated by the RNLI so would hate to have missed them out just because they are independent. So far we have visited St Abbs in the South East of Scotland and Southport in Merseyside.
Any plans for the 100th Lifeboat Station?
We are thinking that Tower Bridge Lifeboat Station on The Thames (and the busiest Lifeboat Station in the UK) will be our 100th station. Feel free to come and meet us there – I’ll shout when we are planning to go!
What have been the favourite Lifeboat Stations so far?
We absolutely loved the Tenby Lifeboat Station. The new station sits next to the original Tenby Lifeboat Station, as featured on Grand Designs. Sadly, the station was closed when we visited so we couldn’t go in.
The Lizard (31) in Cornwall was another beautiful one. Quite a walk from the car park (sometimes we can be walking for up to 30 minutes before we get to the stations) and down some steep, slippery metal stairs but phenomenal we you get there. I stayed at the top and Dermot and the girls got offered a lift back to the top with the crew as they were closing up.
Are there any lifeboat stations that we have not enjoyed?
If we’ve tried to squeeze too many into a trip, we do get a bit jaded at the end. If the weather is rubbish, we can’t park or we cannot get anywhere near, we get a little fed up. We are always spurred on at the thought of the next one, which could have stunning views like Padstow (33).
All of the Lifeboat Stations are incredibly well looked after though and we’ve not been to one that was not welcoming or spotless. A real credit to the employees and volunteers of the RNLI.
Angle in Pembrokeshire was particularly tough journey. We had already done quite a lot of travelling over the previous days and needed to go here to tick it off. On the way we encountered car crashes, potholes, speed cameras, and toll bridges. This station even involved a walk on the headland that we were a bit worried about the tide cutting us off. We did find a chippy though, so not all bad!
Do we try to check out the local area?
Yes of course. We’ve seen some amazing places that we probably wouldn’t have stopped at if we weren’t doing this challenge. We discovered the Cliff Side Train at Linton & Lynmouth, visited the Holy Island of Lindisfarne & encountered the terrifying Clovelly Private Village (73).
We always try to picture something different about the local area, the Yarn Bombing in North Berwick (54) and Abersoch (36) beach huts.
Can all Lifeboat Stations be accessed by car?
No, we have so far got the Arranmore (63) ferry and took a short cut home by getting the ferry at Fowey (69). We know that there will be others like St Mary’s in Cornwall that we will have to get a flight to.
Any real life rescues?
So far, just the one. As we arrived at Fleetwood, the crew were all rushing in – one even asked me if they had enough volunteers! They were going to a Jet Ski that had got into difficulty – I believe there was a successful outcome.
Our Lifeboat Stations Challenge by Map
Check out where we are up to in our challenge and see if we are due to come near you.
The purples are places we have already visited and the vast amount of reds show where we have yet to go.
We thought we were doing really well until we saw how many reds were left! We keep this map updated shortly after each visit.