List of islands of Wales facts for kids
Wales is a country that's part of Great Britain. It has many islands dotted around its coast! This article will tell you all about these islands, including some that are only islands at certain times, like Sully Island. These are called tidal islands because you can walk to them when the tide is out, but they become surrounded by water when the tide comes in. We won't be talking about places like Shell Island, which might sound like an island but are actually connected to the mainland.
Here's a list of the islands you can find around Wales:
Name | Where it is |
---|---|
Anglesey (Ynys Môn) | Irish Sea |
Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) | Gwynedd |
Barry Island (Ynys y Barri) | Vale of Glamorgan (it was connected to the mainland in the 1880s) |
Burry Holms | Gower |
Caldey Island (Ynys Bŷr) | Pembrokeshire |
Cardigan Island (Ynys Aberteifi) | Ceredigion |
Carreg Onnen | Pembrokeshire |
Carreg Rhoson | Pembrokeshire |
Carreg yr Halen | Anglesey |
Cei Ballast | Porthmadog (made from old ship ballast) |
Church Island (Ynys Dysilio) | Anglesey |
Cribinau (Ynys Cribinau) | Anglesey |
Daufraich | Pembrokeshire |
Denny Island (Ynys Denny) | Monmouthshire |
East Mouse (Ynys Amlwch) | Anglesey |
Emsger | Pembrokeshire |
Flat Holm (Ynys Echni) | Bristol Channel |
Gateholm | Pembrokeshire (a tidal island) |
Grassholm (Gwales/Ynys Gwales) | Pembrokeshire |
Holy Island (Ynys Gybi) | Anglesey |
Maen Gwenonwy | Llyn Peninsula (a tidal island) |
Middle Head | Gower (a tidal island) |
Middle Mouse (Ynys Badrig) | Anglesey |
Middleholm (also called Midland Isle) | Pembrokeshire |
Mumbles Head Island (Y Mwmbwls) | Gower (a tidal island) |
North Stack (Ynys Arw) | Anglesey |
Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol) | Anglesey |
Ramsey Island (Ynys Dewi) | Pembrokeshire |
St Catherine's Island (Ynys Catrin) | Pembrokeshire |
St Margaret's Island (Ynys Farged) | Pembrokeshire |
St Tudwal's Island East (Ynys Tudwal Fach) | St Tudwal's Islands |
St Tudwal's Island West (Ynys Tudwal Fawr) | St Tudwal's Islands |
Salt Island (Ynys yr Halen) | Anglesey |
Sheep Island (Ynys y defaid) | Pembrokeshire (a tidal island) |
The Skerries (Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniaid) | Anglesey |
Skokholm (Ynys Sgoc-holm) | Pembrokeshire |
Skomer (Ynys Skomer) | Pembrokeshire |
South Stack (Ynys Lawd) | Anglesey |
Sully Island | Vale of Glamorgan (a tidal island) |
Thorn Island | Pembrokeshire |
Tusker Rock (Ynys Twsgr) | Vale of Glamorgan |
West Mouse (Maen y Bugail) | Anglesey |
Worms Head (Pen Pyrod) | Gower (a tidal island) |
Ynys Benlas | Anglesey |
Ynys Beri | Pembrokeshire |
Ynys Cantwr | Pembrokeshire |
Ynys Castell | Anglesey |
Ynys Dulas | Anglesey |
Ynys Eilun & Pont yr Eilun | Pembrokeshire |
Ynys Faelog | Anglesey |
Ynys Feurig | Anglesey |
Ynys Gaint | Anglesey |
Ynys Gifftan | Gwynedd (a tidal island) |
Ynys Gored Goch | Anglesey |
Ynys Gwelltog | Pembrokeshire |
Ynys Llanddwyn | Anglesey (a tidal island) |
Ynys Lochtyn | Ceredigion |
Ynys Meicel | Pembrokeshire |
Ynys Moelfre | Anglesey |
Ynys Onnen | Pembrokeshire |
Ynys Welltog | Anglesey |
Ynys y Bîg | Anglesey |
Contents
Biggest Islands in Wales
Here are the largest islands in Wales, ranked by their size:
Rank | Island | Area (square miles) | Area (square kilometers) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Anglesey | 260.37 | 674.36 |
2 | Holy Island | 15.22 | 39.44 |
3 | Skomer | 1.12 | 2.90 |
4 | Ramsey Island | 0.99 | 2.58 |
5 | Caldey Island | 0.84 | 2.18 |
6 | Bardsey Island | 0.79 | 2.06 |
7 | Skokholm | 0.41 | 1.06 |
8 | Flat Holm | 0.21 | 0.33 |
9 | Ynys Llanddwyn | 0.19 | 0.3 |
10 | Puffin Island | 0.11 | 0.28 |
11 | Cardigan Island | 0.06 | 0.15 |
It's interesting to know that Holy Island and Anglesey are often thought of as one big landmass. This is because they are separated by a very narrow channel of water.
Islands in Lakes
Wales doesn't have any really big islands inside its lakes. However, there is a special artificial island called a crannog in Llangorse Lake. A crannog is a type of ancient island home, often built on stilts or piles in a lake.
You can also find smaller islands, called islets, in some of Wales's reservoirs. These include Llyn Brenig, the Elan Valley Reservoirs, and Llyn Trawsfynydd. Llyn Trawsfynydd has the most and largest islets, though some of them are connected to the land by paths called causeways.
Places Called "Island" That Aren't Really Islands
Sometimes, places along the Welsh coast are called "island" or "ynys" (which means island in Welsh), but they aren't true islands. This can be a bit confusing! While "ynys" usually means island, it can also mean other things.
Some of these places used to be islands, but over time, the marshy land around them dried up or was filled in, connecting them to the mainland. Others are actually peninsulas (land almost surrounded by water but still connected to the mainland) or just coastal towns.
Here are a few examples:
- Barry Island: This was a tidal island until the Barry Docks were built in the 1880s, connecting it to the mainland.
- Berges Island: This is a peninsula at Whitford Burrows in Gower.
- Dinas Island: A peninsula on the Pembrokeshire coast.
- Farchynys: A place next to the Mawddach estuary in Bontddu, Gwynedd.
- Little Island: A peninsula at the western end of what used to be Barry Island.
- Shell Island: Despite its name, this is a peninsula.
- Traeth Mawr: There are many places with "ynys" in their names around Traeth Mawr. This area used to be a wide estuary (where a river meets the sea) but is now drained land. Examples include Hir Ynys, Ynys y Gwely, Ynys Ceiliog, Ynys Fawr, Ynys-fach, and Ynys Fer-las.
- Ynys: A small village on a raised area of land called Ynys Llanfihangel-y-traethau at Morfa Harlech, Gwynedd.
- Ynys and nearby Ynys-fach: These are on the coast south of Dinas Dinlle, Gwynedd.
- Ynyslas: A place at Borth, in north Ceredigion. There are also many places with "ynys" in their names around the Dovey estuary, such as Ynys Tachwedd, Ynysfergi, Ynys Greigiog, Ynys-hir, Ynys Edwin, Ynys-Eidiol, and simply 'Ynys'.
- Ynys Leurad: A small peninsula near Four Mile Bridge, Anglesey.
See also
- List of the British Isles