Island 228 - Ynys Groes, Rhosneigr, Anglesey, Wales

Ynys Groes (Cross Island) is an unremarkable small tidal island about 300 metres from the village of Rhosneigr.  It is actually 2 separate islands grouped together but separated at high tide.  They are accessible at low tide across the sand.  The last 50 metres or so is across some rocks, muddy sand and slippery seaweed.  The islands, which rise to a height of about 4 metres are covered in grass and thrift, which was still in flower when I visited in early June 2014.  There were also a few dandelions.

Ynys Groes

 - definitely enough grass to graze a sheep but there was no sign of any sheep having taken advantage of it in recent years!

Rhosneigr from Ynys Groes

Island 227 - Sach Harri, Rhosneigr, Anglesey, Wales

I originally thought this island was part of neighbouring Ynys Groes but on the OS OpenData large scale map it is named separately.  It is located 300 metres to the south west of the village of Rhosneigr and can easily be accessed across sand, some firm mud and a few seaweed covered rocks.  The island has no distinguishing features.  It rises to a height of about 3 metres and is mainly bare rock with patches of grass and thrift.

 Sach Harri looking towards Ynys Groes

 Sach Harri looking towards Rhosneigr

Island 226 - Braich Parlwr, Rhosneigr, Anglesey, Wales

Braich Parlwr is an unremarkable small tidal island located 100 metres from the village of Rhosneigr on the west coast of Anglesey.  However I don't think it gets cut off very often from the mainland, possibly just at high spring tides or in storm conditions.  Other people have described it as a peninsula rather than an island but having studied the seaweed deposits that cover the shingle spit that joins it to the mainland I have decided it is an island. Braich Parlwr is about 150 metres by 50 metres and is low lying and covered in grass and thrift.



Braich Parlwr

Rhosneigr from Braich Parlwr

Island 225 - Creigiau'r Odyn, Rhosneigr, Anglesey, Wales

Creigiau'r Odyn is a very small tidal island located about 150 across a sandy beach from the village of Rhosneigr on the west coast of Anglesey.  It is mainly lichen covered rocks with patches of thrift and grass. The only distinguishing feature is a white bollard on the south east side.  I presume this is some kind of navigation aid to mark the channel between the island and the rocks of Braich yr Orsedd.

White bollard on Creigiau'r Odyn

 

Rhosneigr from Creiggiau'r Odyn

Island 224 - Cribinau/St Cwfan's Church, Anglesey, Wales

St Cwfan's Church is located on a very small tidal island called Cribinau on the Ordnance Survey maps but apparently the locals all call it St Cwfan's.  The original church was probably built in the 7th century.  A stone church was built in the 12th century and this was re-built in the 14th century, although some Norman masonry remains in the south wall.  The arched braced roof is partly 16th century.  The church is also known as eglwys bach y mor = the Church in the Sea.

The island can be accessed at low tide across the sand/rocks from between Porth Cwfan and Porth China on the western side of Anglesey near Aberffraw.  The church was probably originally located on a peninsula but centuries of erosion gradually separated it from the mainland thus creating an island.  John Speed's map of 1636 shows it as a peninsula.  Erosion around the island continued and the wall around the churchyard was built in the late 19th century to prevent the graves from falling into the sea.  The church had become derelict by this time and was restored in 1893-4.

St Cwfan was probably a monk and disciple of St Beuno, with whom he came to North Wales in the 7th century.  St Cwfan is thought to have been Irish and may be the same person as St Kevin of Glendalough in County Wicklow, Ireland.

I don't know how I missed this church on my previous visit to Anglesey in 2011 but I have seen it featured on at least 3 television programmes since then and I was glad to have an opportunity to come back to Anglesey and visit it at last.  It is a delightful spot on a sunny day.  I found my 8,000th geocache there but only after a 20 minute fingertip search of the base of the church wall.  The church was locked, so I could only look through the windows at the interior, which is quite plain.  I understand that services are occasionally held there.

I recommend the café at the Llys Llewelyn Centre in Aberffraw - excellent coffee cake and toasted sandwiches and very friendly and helpful staff.  There is some limited parking at Porth Cwfan but the walk down the lane from Aberffraw and then back to Aberffraw via the coast path is delightful and very easy.  It is about a 5 mile round trip.

St Cwfan's Church from the south at low tide

St Cwfan's Church



St Cwfan's Church



Wall around St Cwfan's Church

St Cwfan's Church at low tide

There are seats at both ends of the church

Island 223 - Ynys Peibio, Holyhead, Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales

Ynys Peibio is a very small tidal island located about 50 metres from the beach to the south east of the port at Holyhead.  The original purpose of the small square tower on the island seem to be uncertain.   According to the website of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales it may have been a leading mark for Holyhead Harbour and may have aligned with a structure called Madoc Chapel.   When I visited in June 2014 it had found a new use as a public toilet - lovely!

Ynys Peibio is covered in long grass and thrift, which was in flower when I visited.  It is easy to access from the nearby housing estate and involves a very short walk across a pebble beach avoiding the seaweed where possible.  At the time of my visit it had a geocache.

Not sure what the original purpose of this arch was but you can see Ynys Peibio through it and it gives easy access to the beach down some steps

Ynys Peibio at low tide

Ynys Peibio

Ynys Peibio

Ynys Peibio

Ynys Peibio looking north towards the port of Holyhead

Island 126 - Ynys Llanddwyn, Anglesey, Wales

Ynys Llanddwyn is a really magical place and it is one of my favourite islands.  It is separated from Anglesey by about 150 metres of sandy beach at Newborough Forest on the south west coast of Anglesey.  It is only cut off at high spring tides.  

When I paid my first visit in June 2011 the dunes had lots of wild flowers in full bloom and there were butterflies flitting around everywhere.  I paid a second visit in June 2014 on an equally sunny afternoon.  The flowers I could identify included bluebells, sea holly, meadow cranesbill, thrift, daisies, wild thyme, birds foot trefoil, purple vetch, red campion, speedwell and yellow horned poppies.  I saw lots of blue butterflies (I'm not good at telling the different blues apart from each other), small heaths and meadow browns.  There were skylarks singing beautifully way up in the sky and oystercatchers on the beaches.

The island doesn't get too busy because it is a mile walk along Llanddwyn Bay from the main Newborough Forest Car Park.

The marram grass on the island was used until the 1920s for producing ropes, baskets, matting and thatching materials.  The island is very interesting geologically with pillow lavas strewn across the beach as you approach from Newborough and a rare colourful melange of rocks at the south west end of the island. The wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe had a studio on the island for over 30 years. 

Llanddwyn now belongs to Anglesey Borough Council, who manage it with the Countryside Council for Wales.

View from Twr Mawr (big tower)

Pilots' Cottages with exhibition and Warden's House

 
Twr Bach (little tower) and thrift in flower

Twr Mawr

 

The ruins of the early medieval church of St Dwynwen -

the Welsh patron saint of lovers

Legend has it that Dwynwen fell in love with Prince Maelon.  He tried to seduce her but she resisted and they parted.  She lived on Llanddwyn for the rest of her life.

Twr Mawr

Celtic Cross

Celtic Cross

Cross and Twr Mawr looking towards the mountains of Snowdonia

Melange of rocks at the SW end of the island



Llanddwyn Island from Newborough Beach



Looking north up the west coast of Llanddwyn towards Malltreath Bay

Twr Mawr and Ynys yr Ardar

Llanddwyn in June with thrift in flower

Twr Bach on a separate islet now joined to Llanddwyn by a manmade breakwater

Twr Mawr and Pilots' Cottages

Looking south west down the coast of Llanddwyn towards Twr Mawr

Cross and Twr Mawr

Island 125 - Salt Island, Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales

Salt Island, which is known in Welsh as Ynys Halen, will definitely not be winning any prizes in a beauty contest.  It is a tidal island, which has now been incorporated into the port of Holyhead and is linked to Holy Island by a short bridge.  Access is only allowed for those on port business or who are catching a ferry to Ireland.  It has a high wall around it. However when I arrived it was low tide and it was possible to walk across to it.  The rocky shore is on the outside of the wall and is therefore accessible.  There was a good deal of litter lying around on the rocks and in the mud.   The island is so called, as it once had a factory on it, which extracted salt from seawater.

Salt Island from Holyhead

Salt Island

Island 124 - South Stack, Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales

South Stack (Ynys Lawd)  is a tiny island located on the north west coast of Holy Island off Anglesey in Wales.  It is about 150 metres long by 100 metres wide.  It is part of the RSPB's South Stack reserve and is accessed down 400 steps and across a 30 metre long bridge.  There is an admission charge, which in June 2011 was £4.50 and it is only open from Easter to September.  You can climb up another 100 or so steps to the top of the lighthouse and the cliffs are teeming with seabirds such as guillemots, puffins, gulls and razorbills in the breeding season.  RSPB and Anglesey Council staff are on hand with telescopes to show you the seabirds and to tell you about the lighthouse.  There is however no toilet on the island!  However there are toilets by the visitor centre a few hundred metres (and 400 steps!) from the island. 

The lighthouse was built in 1809.  It was designed by Daniel Alexander and built by John Nelson.  It was fired by oil lamps initially, electrified in 1938 and automated in 1984.  The tower, which is currently 28 metres tall  was heightened in 1874 and the light has a range of 23 miles.

The first bridge across the chasm separating the island from Holy Island was a rope catwalk built in 1812.  This was replaced by an iron suspension bridge in 1828.  This in turn was replaced by an aluminium bridge in 1964.  This became unsafe at some point after the lighthouse was automated and after being closed for a while it was replaced in 1997.

South Stack is a very dramatic location and I thoroughly enjoyed my short visit in June 2011.

South Stack Lighthouse

South Stack Lighthouse

Bridge to South Stack

South Stack Lighthouse

Holy Island and Ellin's Tower from South Stack

Island 123 - Ynys Gaint, Anglesey, Wales

 

Bridge to Ynys Gaint from Menai Bridge

Ynys Gaint is a small tidal island, which is linked by a short bridge to the town of Menai Bridge in the south of Anglesey.  As you can see form the notice on the bridge, it is privately owned and visitors are not welcomed.  It was pouring with rain, there was no locked gate, there was no one around and only about 50 metres separated me from this island.   It was so tempting...!

Information about the island has proved hard to come by but a couple of people have added comments, which describe the island and give details of its recent history.  Many thanks to them for doing that.

Island 122 - Ynys Faelog, Anglesey, Wales

Ynys Faelog is a small tidal island located just off the south east coast of Anglesey at the town of Menai Bridge.  There is a tidal causeway to Ynys Faelog on the north side of the island but it had a big No Entry sign.  I think that part of the island is owned/managed? by Bangor University's School of Ocean Sciences.  

At the south end of the island there is a concrete pedestrian walkway, which can be accessed from St George's Road in Menai Bridge, which looked to be above the high tide level.  This did not have a No Entry notice, so I walked across it.  At low tide the island doesn't look its best - lots of mud surrounding it.  When I visited it was pouring with rain and nowhere looks its best in that kind of weather!  There was also a large amount of dog mess on the rocks and on the walkway at the island end.  I didn't venture far onto the island.   There is at least one house on the island, maybe more.  I couldn't tell if this was one house or 2:

Ynys Faeolog

Ynys Faelog

Island 121 - Church Island, Anglesey, Wales

Church Island is aptly named as all the space on it is taken up by the small 14th century church of St Tysilio and its graveyard.  This church was built on the site of a church founded by St Tysilio in 630 AD.  It is accessed by a causeway from the town of Menai Bridge on the southern coast of Anglesey.

 

Causeway to Church Island

 



St Tysilio's Church



War Memorial

Menai Straits with Church Island and Menai Bridge in the middle of the photo