ynys llanddwyn - llanddwyn island
Llanddwyn Island or Ynys Llanddwyn as it is know locally in Welsh, is a relatively small tidal Island which is located on the south west corner of of Anglesey.
Llanddwyn Island is an island of rock which is about a mile long by about half a mile wide and has several beautiful sandy beaches. The Island is very much a spiritual place and is renowned for its amazing views over Snowdonia and the Llyn Peninsular.
The island is part of the National Nature Reserve which includes part of Newborough warren, which is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), one of many on Anglesey. It is also a popular place for its special geological rock features like its pillow lava.
Old Pilot Cottages
The cottages originally inhabited by the pilots whose job was to pilot ships into the Menai Straits, these pilots also manned the nearby lifeboat along with nearby locals from Newborough.
The name Llanddwyn translates as Dwynwen’s church, Dwynwen is the welsh patron saint of lovers, the welsh equivalent of St. Valentine, her saints day is celebrated on the 25th January. The remains of St. Dwynwen’s church can still be seen on the island.
Twr Mawr Lighthouse
Twr Mawr lighthouse on Llanddwyn Island was built in 1845 to warn passing ships about Llanddwyn Island. The tower is similar in design and shape to many of the Anglesey windmills, it marks the western approach to the Menai Straits.
The optic and fresnel lens are dated 1861 and were used as late as the 1970’s. The lighthouse is very photogenic and is snapped thousands of times a year.
Twr Bach Lighthouse
This is a conical shaped tower and can be seen to the south east of the Twr Mawr lighthouse, and could well have been built before Twr Mawr.
Twr Bach Lighthouse is situated on a small island next to Llanddwyn Island which is joined by a small causeway. It is next to the old lifeboat station which remained in service until 1903.
The walls of Twr Bach Lighthouse are over 2 meters thick and only 5 meters in height, it has no windows and is powered by solar power and has a range of 7 nautical miles.
It is thought that this lighthouse was built in the early 1800’s as it appears on an Ordnance Survey map 1818 -1883, but not on an earlier chart of Lewis Morris dated 1800. Twr Bach Lighthouse is a Grade 2 listed building.
St. Dwynwen’s Church
The name Llanddwyn means “The church of St. Dwynwen” and you can still see the remains of her church here today.
Dwynwen is the welsh patron saint of lovers, the welsh equivalent of St. Valentine, in Wales we celebrate her Saints day on the 25th January. The remains of her church can still be seen today.
Llanddwyn Island lifeboat station
The Lifeboat station on Llanddwyn Island started its service in 1840.
The station was manned by pilots and Lifeboat crew who lived in the pilots cottages and in the local village of Newborough.
The cannon outside the cottages was fired to summon the lifeboat crew. The lifeboat station remained in service until 1903, during its 63 years of service it saved 101 lives in 35 different rescues.
Beautiful Sandy Beaches
Llanddwyn Island has some pretty stunning beaches, although quite small, they are ideal for a family picnic.
There are six in total, all of these beaches are soft golden sand and they are all beautiful little coves.
Some of the beaches are quite secluded and ideal for swimming and snorkelling.
Llanddwyn Island - Famous Film Location
Llanddwyn islands beauty is such that is has played a role in several films over the years, in 2004 its location was used in the romantic thriller “Half Light” which stared Demi Moore, Twr Mawr lighthouse played a star role in the film and CGI was used to create the light.
In 2009 a scene from the Hollywood blockbuster “Clash of the Titans” was filmed at Llanddwyn Island.
The 1900 Island
The 1900 Island, was a BBC Wales documentary of four families who lived on the island for a month. The four families were invited to take part in the program and live life as though it was in the 1900’s.
The factual four part series showed the families and their struggles to survive, catch food, sell it and deal with the extreme weather at the time. The program was extremely realistic showing how life was in the early 1900’s.
The 1900 Island was made by Wildflame Productions, and produced by Alexis Girardet who is known for filming in some of the most extreme conditions in the world such as the Arctic and the Amazon,
Llanddwyn Island and its Geology
Llanddwyn island is a paradise for those interested in geology. The rock formation on the island is unique and is of geological interest with pillow lava, jasper formations and aeolian sand deposits
Dog Restriction
Dogs are not allowed on the island from 1st May to 30th September, due to rare wild flowers and nesting birds.
Taking Photographs on Llanddwyn Island
Llanddwyn Island is a stunning place, especially for those who love photography. It is probably in the top 3 places on Anglesey that are photographed more than anywhere else.
If you have taken some beautiful photographs of our Island and would like to sell them why not click here
