Bardsey Island

Island in Caernarfonshire

Wales

Bardsey Island

Landing on Bardsey There was a transfer to a smaller boat for the landing. The crossing was by a larger fast catamaran, similar to the one used for trips out of Crinan to Jura, Scarab etc. The boat is heading for the inlet of
Cafn Enlli where there is a slip. — Landing on Bardsey Credit: Richard Webb

Bardsey Island, also known as Ynys Enlli in Welsh, is a small island off the coast of Caernarfonshire in northwest Wales. Situated in the Irish Sea, it lies approximately 2 miles off the Llŷn Peninsula. Covering an area of about 180 acres, the island boasts a rugged and picturesque landscape.

Bardsey Island has a rich and fascinating history. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times and has served as a site of religious pilgrimage for centuries. According to legend, it is the burial place of 20,000 saints. In the past, it was home to a monastic community and a prominent center of learning.

The island's wildlife is diverse and abundant, making it an important nature reserve. It is particularly renowned for its birdlife, with thousands of breeding seabirds, including puffins, razorbills, and guillemots. The surrounding waters are also home to seals, dolphins, and porpoises.

Visitors to Bardsey Island can explore its beautiful coastline, walk along its cliffs, and enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding sea. The island offers a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere, making it a popular destination for nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a remote escape from the mainland.

Access to Bardsey Island is limited, with a small number of boats providing transportation to and from the island during the summer months. There are no permanent residents on the island, although a small number of visitors can stay overnight in the former lighthouse keeper's cottage, which has been converted into accommodation.

Show me another place!

If you have any feedback on the listing, please let us know in the comments section below.

Bardsey Island Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 52.7611/-4.7866 or Grid Reference SH1221. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Landing on Bardsey

There was a transfer to a smaller boat for the landing. The crossing was by a larger fast catamaran, similar to the one used for trips out of Crinan to Jura, Scarab etc. The boat is heading for the inlet of Cafn Enlli where there is a slip.

Richard Webb

View from Mynydd Enlli

The mountain on Ynys Enlli / Bardsey with a view to the south of the island. The small inlet of Cafn Enlli is visible in front of the bigger bay on the left. This is where boats land or leave from.

Richard Webb

The misty isle

The title might suggest the Isle of Skye, but this is Ynys Enlli [Bardsey] shrouded in sea mist on a warm September day.

Gordon Hatton

Bardsey Island from Pen y Cil

Bardsey Island is known as the Island of 20,000 saints whilst its Welsh name, Ynys Enlli, refers to it as the Island of Currents. The English name refers to bards or chieftains. Bardsey has a bird observatory, a lighthouse and was made a National Nature Reserve in 1986. In the midground the shallow rocky outcrop in the sea is Carreg Ddu or Black stone.

Colin Cheesman

The main - and only - road on Bardsey Island

Eirian Evans

Bardsey view

From the farm buildings towards the lighthouse

Eirian Evans

The Old School, Bardsey Island

The School House was originally the 'old chapel' building for islanders until a more formal school was established in 1875 for the twelve students on the island at the time.

Eirian Evans

Plas Bach, Ynys Enlli

These buildings are now used to house the tourists who come to Bardsey Island on vacation

Eirian Evans

Bardsey Abbey

The fragmentary remains of the thirteenth century Augustinian abbey who took over from the ancient Celtic foundation of the sixth century. Nearby a Celtic cross stands commemorating the now mostly Christian religious past and very numerous, 20,000, saints reputed to have been buried in or near the site.

Eirian Evans