Ynys Llanddwyn
Ynys Llanddwyn is a small tidal island off the west coast of Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn), northwest Wales. The nearest settlement is the village of Newborough. Geology and geography. The island is of geological interest with pillow lava, jasper formations and aeolian sand deposits. The island forms part of the National Nature Reserve of Newborough Warren which includes the extensive and floristically rich sand dune system. Ynys Llanddwyn is a tidal island; it remains attached to the mainland except at high tide. It provides views of Snowdonia and the Llŷn Peninsula. Tŵr Mawr lighthouse marks the western entrance  to the Menai Strait. Saint Dwynwen. The island is rich in legends, in particular in its association with Dwynwen. The name Llanddwyn means "The church of St. Dwynwen". Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, making her the Welsh equivalent of St. Valentine. Her Saint's day is 25 January and is often celebrated by the Welsh with cards and flowers. The island bears the ruined remains of St Dwynwen's Church (). Unusually for churches in that region it has a cruciform floorplan. In 2011 archaeologists excavated the nave of the ruined church of St Dwynwen's. In October  2021 archaeologist Dr George Nash and SLR Consulting were given permission from Cadw, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Isle of Anglesey County Council to return to the island. They uncovered the remains of several buildings beneath the ruin, including what may have been a medieval priory. Nash, who made the discovery along with geophysicists Les Dodd and Phil Dell, said the priory was "probably converted into a parish church some time after Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries during the late 1530s." Visitors and footpaths. Newborough National Nature Reserve & Forest, of which Ynys Llanddwyn is part, received 478,204 visitors  in 2018. There are more than of footpaths crossing Ynys Llanddwyn and Newborough Warren, including the Anglesey Coastal Path, and it is a very popular place to visit. The island provides a worth-while goal after the mile-long walk along the beach from the nearest car park. Ynys Llanddwyn, with the neighbouring beach, has been awarded Blue Flag beach status in recognition of the cleanliness of the sea and the beaches.