Overview

Llanddwyn Island or Ynys Llanddwyn (in Welsh) is a small tidal island off the west coast of Anglesey. It remains attached to the mainland except at high tide and provides views of Snowdonia and the Llŷn Peninsula. 

The island boasts abundant history, nature, and beauty. The island has two picturesque lighthouses, a ruined 16th-century chapel and many rocky coves. There is also a small terrace of 4 pilot houses built for pilots who guided ships through the treacherous Menai Straits, and who manned the Llanddwyn lifeboat until 1903. A variety of seabirds can be spotted from the island, as well as seals – heads bobbing in the water, or basking on the nearby rocks. If you’re lucky, you may also spot dolphins or even the occasional Minke Whale.

But we come for the photography 🙂

The most popular photographic feature is the lighthouse on the tip of the island Tŵr Mawr lighthouse which marks the western entrance to the Menai Strait which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of North Wales. By far the most popular composition of the lighthouse is shot from the small outcrop of rock marked A on the route map below. In fact it is so popular a viewpoint that the grass has been worn bare by many photographers feet and tripods!

However, to me there is far more to this island than just the lighthouse. One of my favourite spots is the small beach of Porth Twr Bach marked B on the map below. Here you will find a wonderful mix of rocks including rose pink quartzites, greenish lavas, pale limestones, dark coloured intrusive dykes, and purple manganese rich shales, all folded and mixed together. This amazing mixture of colours and textures provides great opportunities for intimate landscapes.

The best time to visit is for sunset with the lighthouse and mountains of the Llŷn Peninsula glowing with the last light. It you can manage the conditions, another, albeit much harder time to visit, would be during a good winter storm where the sea and rocky islets come alive with crashing waves.