Learning about Llŷn

The Sea

The sea has played an extremely important part in the history and development of Llŷn.

Fishing has always been a part of life on Llŷn, with herring, crabs and lobsters being the most popular catches. During the 18th and 19th century Nefyn and Porthdinllaen became famous for their herring catches, to such a degree that Nefyn town’s coat of arms features 3 herrings, and the town’s residents are referred to as “Penwaig Nefyn” (Nefyn Herrings).

Porthdinllaen from Rhiw.com

Ship building was also an important industry on Llŷn, with ships being built at Nefyn, Porthdinllaen, Trefor, Porth Colmon, Aberdaron, Rhiw and Abersoch. The area was also the scene of numerous shipwrecks due to the rocky coastline, and sometimes unpredictable seas. One famous ship that was wrecked off the Llŷn coastline was Flat Anne, better known as Flat Huw Puw, subject of a popular sea shanty most children on Llŷn will learn at some point.

The sea around Llŷn is a wealth of wildlife! Home to seals, porpoises, starfish, octopuses! It is so special that it has been made into a Special Area for Conservation (SAC) check out the Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau website to learn more about the sharks, whales and dolphins that visit Llŷn!

Bottlenose dolphins are a regular feature along Llŷn’s coast, they are grey in color and can be between 2 and 4 metres long, and weigh between 150 and 650 kilograms. They can be seen all around the coast of the AONB, swimming and playing in groups of up to 30 or more called ‘pods’. To find out more about the bottlenose dolphins in and around Llŷn, visit the Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau website.

Ynys Enlli

Bardsey Island

Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), has always been a very special place. This small island lies about two miles off the tip of Aberdaron, and the sea between the island and the mainland is a famously unpredictable stretch of water known as the ‘Swnt’ or Bardsey Sound.

The island is 1.5 miles in length and just over half a mile across, and is renowned for the 20,000 saints allegedly buried there. Today it attracts many visitors who come to view the birds and other wildlife that call the island home, and to experience the peace and quiet of the island.

The Land

Farming has always been a major part of life on Llŷn, farms and smallholdings called “Tyddynnod” can be found all over the Peninsula.

Many farms and Tyddynnod were the property of large estates like Glynllifon, Nanhoron and the Vaenol.  

Small scale farming has helped to develop Llŷn’s unique identity, from dry stone walls and ancient hedges to the patchwork field pattern, this low intensity farming has given us a wealth of different insect and bird life that thrive in the hedges and field boundaries.

Chough

One bird that has chosen Llŷn as its home is the Chough. The chough is a very special bird, a member of the crow family, there are only about 450 pairs left in the whole of Britain, and Llŷn is home to over 60 breeding pairs! The wealth of insect life from the gorse, heather and hedgerows of the Llŷn means that our choughs won’t go hungry!

The Chough is highly recognisable from its red beak and legs and the chough was chosen as the logo for the AONB.