Moelfre, Anglesey Tourist Information

A Cliff Walk on Anglesey’s "Shipwreck Coast"

This four mile walk passes the ill fated spot where the Royal Charter was wrecked as well as visiting two of Anglesey’s most remarkable prehistoric relics. There are also striking views of Snowdonia and the North Wales coast as far as the Great Orme at Llandudno some 14 miles away

A - Lligwy Bay The sandy, dune-backed beach of Lligwy Bay offers safe bathing. The rocky islet visible to the north of the bay is Ynys Dulas. During the days of sail Ynys Dulas was the scene of so many shipwrecks that a refuge was built on it and kept stocked with food and water. Today the islet is the haunt of grey seals

B - Capel Lligwy The church dates from the 12th century but the upper parts of the walls were rebuilt 200 years later and additions made in the 16th century.

C - Din Lligwy These remarkably well preserved remains were probably the home of a local chieftain who ruled during the 4th century about the time of the Roman withdrawal - an earlier village on this site may well have been adapted to make this a fortified settlement. The nine buildings - two circular and seven rectangular - were originally thatched. They are surrounded by an irregularly shaped wall enclosing and area of more than half an acre. The hut in the top RH corner was used for iron working.

D - Burial Chamber Built over a natural fissure in the rock this burial chamber dates from late Stone Age about 2500 BC. The capstone of the chamber is unusually massive being 18 ft by 16 ft and over 3 ft thick and weighs about 25 tons. Two thirds of the chamber is below ground and was originally covered by a cairn of smaller stones instead of the more usual earth "barrow" - the main entrance faces east towards the lane. When the chamber was excavated in 1908 the remains of 30 men, women and children - including those of a new- born child were discovered along with animal bones

E - Lifeboat Station and Sea Watch Centre Moelfre’s lifeboats have saved over 1000 lives since a station was established in the 1830’s

F - Ynys Moelfre Further round from the lifeboat station is the small island of Ynys Moelfre which is separated from Anglesey by the narrow channel of Y Swnt. Ynys Moelfre - Moelfre Island - is a great haunt of sea birds. Species to be seen include gulls, terns, gannets, fulmars, and great and Arctic skuuas. Porpoises can sometimes be seen swimming in Th. bay in summer.

G - Wreck Of Hindlea Swathed in thick blankets of seaweed the remains of the 650 ton Hindlea can be seen on the rocks at the foot of the low cliffs beneath where the old coastguard look-out station used to be. The Hindlea was caught in a hurricane in October 1959 and foundered on the rocks. The anchor from the vessel can be seen opposite Fron

H - Royal Charter Memorial The memorial to the victims of the wreck of the Royal charter was erected in 1935, 76 years after the steam clipper was smashed to pieces on the nearby rocks with more than 400 passengers and crew losing their lives