Llanddwyn Island

Llanddwyn is a narrow finger of land cut off only at the highest tides, reached across the beach at Newborough. Dwynwen, a fifth-century woman whose story ends with her retreating here after a broken engagement, is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, and her feast on 25 January is marked across Wales as the Welsh equivalent of Valentine's Day; the ruins of a sixteenth-century church built on the site of her chapel stand on the island, along with a holy well in which the movement of eels was said to predict a relationship's future. Two lighthouses stand at the end, Tŵr Bach and Tŵr Mawr, the latter built in 1845 in the form of an Anglesey windmill. The shoreline exposes pillow lava, rock formed by underwater eruption around 570 million years ago.

What you actually see

• The church ruins - a sixteenth-century shell on the site of Dwynwen's chapel.
• The two lighthouses - including one built in the shape of a windmill in 1845.
• The pillow lava - rounded rock formed by underwater eruption on the shore.
• The Snowdonia view - the mountains across the strait from the island's end.

When to go

April to October for the walk and the beach; 25 January is Dydd Santes Dwynwen and draws visitors despite the weather. The island is cut off only at the highest tides, but crossing times are worth checking.

Honest expectations

The walk in from the car park is about two kilometres each way through forest and soft sand and takes longer than expected. The car park is charged and closes at dusk, with gates locked. There are no facilities on the island.

Nearby

Newborough Warren and its forest lie behind; the Menai bridges are northeast.