Bardsey Island
Bardsey Island
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|---|---|
Bardsey Island seen from Mynydd Mawr | |
Bardsey Island Location within Gwynedd | |
| Area | 1.79 km2 (0.69 sq mi) |
| Population | 11 (as of 2019)[1] |
| • Density | 6/km2 (16/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SH122218 |
| Community |
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| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PWLLHELI |
| Postcode district | LL53 |
| Dialling code | 01758 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament |
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| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament |
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Bardsey Island (Welsh: Ynys Enlli), known as the legendary "Island of 20,000 Saints", is located 1.9 miles (3.1 km) off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd.[2] The Welsh name means "The Island in the Currents", while its English name refers to the "Island of the Bards",[3] or possibly the Viking chieftain, "Barda". At 179 hectares (440 acres; 0.69 sq mi) in area it is the fourth largest offshore island in Wales, with a population of 11.[4]
The north east rises steeply from the sea to a height of 548 feet (167 m) at Mynydd Enlli,[5] which is a Marilyn, while the western plain is low and relatively flat cultivated farmland. To the south the island narrows to an isthmus, connecting a peninsula on which the lighthouse stands.[6] Since 1974 it has been included in the community of Aberdaron.[7]
The island has been an important religious site since the 6th century, when it is said that the Welsh king Einion Frenin and Saint Cadfan founded a monastery there.[8] In medieval times it was a major centre of pilgrimage and, by 1212, belonged to the Augustinian Canons Regular.[9] The monastery was dissolved and its buildings demolished by Henry VIII in 1537,[10] but the island remains an attraction for pilgrims, marking the end point of the North Wales Pilgrims Way.[11][10]
Bardsey Island is famous for its wildlife and rugged scenery. A bird observatory was established in 1953.[12] It is a nesting place for Manx shearwaters and choughs, with rare plants, and habitats undisturbed by modern farming practices.[13] The waters around the island attract dolphins and porpoises and grey seals.[12]
In 2023, the island became the first site in Europe to be awarded International Dark Sky Sanctuary certification.[14]
- ^ Williams, Kelly (28 May 2019). "Why family that went to live on Bardsey Island quit it after just one day". Daily Post. Colwyn Bay. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica : Bardsey Island Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales, 1849, S Lewis and Co, London, 474 pages
- ^ "Ynys Enlli". Natural Resources Wales. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ Lleyn Peninsula West (Map). 1:25000. Ordnance Survey. 2005. ISBN 9780319244494. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ Gwynedd Archaeological Trust : Bardsey Archived 16 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2009 to 2010
- ^ Ordnance Survey : Election Maps : Gwynedd Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ BBC, Travel (13 April 2016). "The tiny island of 20,000 graves". BBC. Amanda Ruggeri. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
archaeologywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
historywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Taith Pererin Gogledd Cymru ~ North Wales Pilgrim's Way". www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
havenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
corewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Dark Skies: Welsh island is first sanctuary in Europe". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2023.