Ynys Gored Goch

Ynys Gored Goch

Ynys Gored Goch lies in the Swellies close to the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait.
Geography
Coordinates 53°13′6.8″N 4°10′51.4″W / 53.218556°N 4.180944°WCoordinates: 53°13′6.8″N 4°10′51.4″W / 53.218556°N 4.180944°W
Area 0.0018 sq mi (0.0047 km2)
Length 0.06 mi (0.1 km)
Width 0.03 mi (0.05 km)
Coastline 0.18 mi (0.29 km)
Highest elevation 30 ft (9 m)
Country
County Anglesey

Ynys Gored Goch (trans. English: Red Weir Island also known as Whitebait Island) is a small island in the Menai Strait between Gwynedd and Anglesey in North Wales.[1] It is situated in the stretch of the strait called the Swellies between Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge and Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge.

The island is occupied by the main house and the converted Smoke House where the fish were processed. Access is only by boat.

History

The earliest known document relating to the island dates from 1590 when it is listed as belonging to the Diocese of Bangor which leased it for £3 and a barrel of herrings a year [2] as the island was used as a fishing trap. During high tides fish would swim into the traps set near the island. The catch would then be collected at the subsequent low tide. After 1888 when the house was sold into private hands the whitebait (herring), people would often travel to the island to taste the fish.[3]

Location

A 10.4 metres (34 ft) high spring tide around Ynys Gored Goch, 30 March 2006.

The strong tidal flow in the Menai Strait creats small whirlpools hence the name the "Swellies". In olden times access by rowing boat was restricted by the tides but nowadays modern boats can access anytime. Mains water and electricity were installed in 1997. Pumping systems mean the two houses no longer flood. Due to the large tidal range of the Menai Strait the size of the island varies between 0.5 acres (0.2 ha) and 3.7 acres (1.5 ha).

The height of the sea is known to exceed 10 metres (33 ft) during high with spring tides which makes it appears that the buildings are on two separate islands. Occasional storm surges have even increased water levels up to 11.2 metres (37 ft).

Ynys Gored Goch once had a large Common Tern colony. This has now reduced to approx 10 pairs which in 2011 produced 13 chicks.

The island's location makes it a popular theme in photographs of the Menai Straits and its bridges.

References

  1. ↑ Ordnance Survey map of the island
  2. ↑ Hughes, Margaret: Anglesey from the Sea, page 14. Carreg Gwalch, 2001
  3. ↑ Hughes, Margaret: Anglesey from the Sea, page 15. Carreg Gwalch, 2001

External links