Gazing across the sound to Ynys Enlli/Bardsey – the ‘island of 20,000 saints’ – on the Wales Coast Path

Fiona Barltrop follows in the footsteps of medieval and modern pilgrims in North Wales

IN MEDIEVAL TIMES three pilgrimages to Bardsey Island – Ynys Enlli – equalled one to Rome. Pilgrims would journey down the Lleyn peninsula to Aberdaron, stopping on route at the many little churches set up by Celtic saints in the fifth and sixth centuries. The pilgrimage ended with a crossing of the treacherous waters of Bardsey Sound. The island was considered to be physically and spiritually at the edge of the world; reputedly, the burial place of 20,000 saints….

Today, it’s a popular day trip for visitors most of whom, no doubt, haven’t made the journey on foot. (Interestingly, especially since no boat ride is involved, only two pilgrimages to St David’s in Pembrokeshire were required to equal one to Rome. Presumably the Pope had his reasons…)

Bardsey Bound?

I’ve yet to step foot on Bardsey but, albeit not as a continuous walk, have covered most of the Lleyn peninsula’s north coast; few indeed have been the fellow ‘pilgrims’ I’ve encountered. It’s quite a drive down to the tip of the peninsula, particularly if – as I was – you’re based in Snowdonia. But it’s worth forgoing the mountains for a day to make this expedition, and when the cloud level’s low, the Lleyn is certainly a good choice. Coastal promontories can sometimes be bathed in sunshine when it’s overcast elsewhere.

Aberdaron’s a picturesque village with its whitewashed cottages and wide sandy beach. Glancing at the visitors’ comments on the local website it’s obviously – and not surprisingly – much loved, especially by those who have been coming here for years. With the clouds yet to clear I dallied a while inside St Hywyn’s church, a 12^th century double-naved building, overlooking the beach. The Welsh poet RS Thomas was vicar here from 1967 to 1978 and had a reputation for being outspoken both in and out of the pulpit. The nearby Y Gegin Fawr (‘the Big Kitchen’), where pilgrims were fed before continuing to Bardsey Island, provides a similar function as a café today; a temptation which I managed to resist, keen as I was to be off.

“Aberdaron’s a picturesque village with its whitewashed cottages and wide sandy beach. Glancing at the visitors’ comments on the local website it’s obviously – and not surprisingly – much loved, especially by those who have been coming here for years.”

Return to Aberdaron

The coast path leads southwards via Porth Meudwy – from where the boats go to Bardsey – and on round the peninsula towards the headland of Braich y Pwll, the ‘Land’s End’ of North Wales, and the prominent hill of Mynydd Mawr (‘Big Mountain’) – a splendid viewpoint which overlooks the whole of the Lleyn Peninsula, the mountains of Snowdonia in the distance.

Despite its name, the Lleyn Coastal Path doesn’t stick to the coast all the time – quite a number of sections run inland a bit (which, for me, makes it compare less favourably with the truer coast paths of South West England and Pembrokeshire); this day’s walk is no exception. However, the scenery is lovely and the views grand, so no complaining! I made it as far as Porth Oer (Whistling Sands) on the north coast, soon after a serene sunset, then headed down quiet lanes back to Aberdaron. A day of memorable, quality walking (though Cornwall’s Land’s End takes a lot of beating…)