Bardsey Island
Welsh island / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Bardsey Island?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
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]
Bardsey Island
| |
---|---|
Bardsey Island seen from Mynydd Mawr | |
Location within Gwynedd | |
Area | 1.79 km2 (0.69 sq mi) |
Population | 11 (as of 2019[update])[1] |
• Density | 6/km2 (16/sq mi) |
OS grid reference | SH122218 |
Community | |
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 | |
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
52.76°N 4.79°W / 52.76; -4.79 |
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 is claimed to be the burial site of Merlin.[8] It has been an important religious site since the 6th century, when it is said that the Welsh kings of Llŷn and Saint Cadfan founded a monastery there.[9] In medieval times it was a major centre of pilgrimage and, by 1212, belonged to the Augustinian Canons Regular.[10] The monastery was dissolved and its buildings demolished by Henry VIII in 1537,[11] but the island remains an attraction for pilgrims, marking the end point of the North Wales Pilgrims Way.[12][11]
Bardsey Island is famous for its wildlife and rugged scenery. A bird observatory was established in 1953.[13] It is a nesting place for Manx shearwaters and choughs, with rare plants, and habitats undisturbed by modern farming practices.[14] The waters around the island attract dolphins and porpoises and grey seals.[13]
In 2023, the island became the first site in Europe to be awarded International Dark Sky Sanctuary certification.[15]