Ancient ruins of St Mary’s Abbey

St Cadfan is thought to have established a monastery on Bardsey in the sixth century, and the island supported around two and a half thousand monks. Bardsey was deemed so holy that in the twelfth century the Pope proclaimed that three pilgrimages to Ynys Enlli equalled one to Rome. Refounded as the Augustinian Abbey of St Mary in the thirteenth century it attracted pilgrims until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century. Today only its original bell tower remains. The Celtic cross amidst the ruins commemorates the many saints reputed to be buried here.

Spot Bardsey Island’s wildlife

Bardsey is renowned for its wildlife and is a great place to spot choughs, grey seals, puffins and Manx shearwaters. Around 310 species of birds have been recorded here including the rare hoopoe by virtue of the island’s position on its principle migration route. A small interpretation centre in the Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory in Cristen gives plenty of information. Wildlife hides on the north coast are a great place to spot the colony of up to two hundred Atlantic grey seals in the rocky bays of the island. Risso’s dolphins and harbour porpoises are also regularly spotted here. The plant life is equally impressive with blue carpets of spring squill along the coast path, dense tufts of thrift and thyme and the heady scents of bell heather. Lichens are amongst the most notable of plants here with over three hundred and fifty species.

Take a pilgrimage to Bardsey Island

The North Wales Pilgrim’s Way is a spectacular 219-kilometre waymarked walking route from Basingwerk Abbey, near Holywell, to Aberdaron then on to Bardsey Island. It follows old routes and footpaths across a stunning variety of farmland, moorland, mountain and shoreline and harks back to centuries ago when pilgrims in their thousands arrived on Bardsey Island drawn by stories of the special peace that can be found there. An annual pilgrimage is organised along the full length of the route for a fortnight every year. www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org 

Walk Bardsey Island’s coastal circuit

A straightforward seven-kilometre route that incorporates the island’s high point and all the key sites of the island’s myths and legends. There are the evocative ruins of St Mary’s Abbey, a chance to spot dolphins off the north coast and a crossing of the narrow isthmus, with the possibility of bathing in the right conditions at Porth Solfach. The deep gullies and inlets of the southern tip are a great place to peer into and discover their rich marine life. See the Islandeering page for Bardsey.