Holy Island, Anglesey

Holy
Native name: <span class="nickname" ">Ynys Gybi

A map showing the Isle of Anglesey and Holy Island
Holy Island, Anglesey (United Kingdom)
Geography
Location Irish Sea
Coordinates 53°17′N 4°37′W / 53.283°N 4.617°W / 53.283; -4.617Coordinates: 53°17′N 4°37′W / 53.283°N 4.617°W / 53.283; -4.617
Archipelago British Isles
Area 15.22 sq mi (39.4 km2)
Length 12.3 km (7.64 mi)
Width 5.6 km (3.48 mi)
Highest elevation 220 m (720 ft)
Highest point Holyhead Mountain
Administration
Wales
County Isle of Anglesey
Largest settlement Holyhead (pop. 11,237)
Demographics
Population 13,659 (as of 2011)
Density 346 /km2 (896 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups Welsh people

Holy Island (Welsh: Ynys Gybi, 'the island of (Saint) Cybi') is an island (15.22 sq mi (39.4 km2)) on the western side of the larger Isle of Anglesey, North Wales, from which it is separated by a narrow, winding channel. It is called "Holy" because of the high concentration of standing stones, burial chambers and other religious sites on the small island. The alternative and historic name of the island is Holyhead Island. According to the 2011 UK Census, the population is 13,659.

History

Holyhead Mountain

Irish pirates invaded Anglesey following the end of Roman rule in Britannia. Cunedda first began warfare against the Irish but ultimately Cadwallon Lawhir defeated the Irish on Holy Island.

Natural features

There are a variety of natural habitats on Anglesey including mudflats, dunes, marshes, and beaches.[1] Practically nothing is left of the oak forest that covered almost all of the island before the arrival of Neolithic farmers.[2] The western side of the island is taken up mainly by Holyhead Mountain, an area of maritime heather moor, which is the highest peak in the county at 722 feet (220m). The coastal zone between the island and the mainland of Anglesey is a large site of special scientific interest - Beddmanarch–Cymyran.

Transport

Ordnance Survey map of Holy Island, 2010

Holy Island is connected to Anglesey by two road links. The first, the Stanley Embankment, is made up of causeways carrying the A5/A55 road and the main railway line to Chester and London, and the original bridge of the A5 post road. The second is Four Mile Bridge which carries a 'B' road and is much smaller.

The main settlement is the port of Holyhead, from which passenger ferries travel to Dún Laoghaire and Dublin, Ireland, and freight ferries also travel to Dublin. Holyhead railway station is located in the town. Other settlements include the villages of Trearddur Bay, Rhoscolyn and Four Mile Bridge.

Around 30 miles (48 km) of the 125-mile (201 km) Anglesey Coastal Path is on Holy Island.

Shipwrecks

Peripheral islands and stacks include North Stack, and South Stack, with its famous lighthouse. Beforeand even afterthe construction of lighthouses, the cliffs and jagged rocks of the island were a great danger to sailors.

Reference footnotes

  1. Anglesey natural history
  2. Cambrian Archaeological Monographs No. 3. Trefignath and Din Dryfol. The excavations of two megalithic tombs in Anglesey. C.A. Smith and F. M. Lynch. Cambrian Archaeological Association 1986. ISBN 0 947846 01 8. ISSN 0266-593X

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.