Ynys Dulas facts for kids
Ynys Dulas (which means Dulas Island in English) is a small island found off the northeast coast of Anglesey, Wales. Anglesey is known as Ynys Môn in Welsh. This island is the most eastern point of the area called Llaneilian.
Ynys Dulas is about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the shore, located inside Dulas Bay. The size of the island changes with the tide. When the tide is low, it's bigger. When the tide is high, it looks smaller. The island is mostly rocky. However, when the tide goes out, you can see sand, especially on the south side. This sand separates the main island from two smaller rocks called Garnog, which means 'Hooves'.
You can often spot seals living on and around Ynys Dulas. But the island is too small for people to live there. There are also very few plants (called flora) on the island because it's so rocky. But in the lower areas, where the water goes out, you can find seaweeds and other sea plants. There's also a smaller rock called Garreg Allan, meaning 'The Outer Stone', about 100 meters behind the island. You can't see it from the shore without help.
What is Ynys Dulas Like?
The seabed around Ynys Dulas has a raised shelf about 1.5 kilometers (almost a mile) long. This means the sea around the island is not very deep, usually less than 5 meters (16 feet). After this shallow area, the water suddenly gets much deeper, over 20 meters (65 feet). This suggests that Ynys Dulas might have been part of a piece of land that sank into the sea a long time ago.
The island also marks the end of an old limestone headland. A headland is a piece of land that sticks out into the sea. This headland used to separate Dulas Bay from Lligwy Bay and Red Wharf Bay.
The Rescue Tower
Ynys Dulas has a special tower that was built to help sailors. This tower used to store food and offer shelter to sailors whose ships had crashed. The tower is round and shaped like a stone cone. Colonel James Hughes of Llys Dulas Manor finished building it in 1824. An old map from 1748, drawn by Lewis Morris, shows the island was once called Ynys Gadarn. This name means 'Strong or Mighty Island'.
The Shipwreck of the Mary Ann
On November 16, 1928, a wooden ship called the Mary Ann got stuck on Ynys Dulas. The Mary Ann was a brigantine, a type of sailing ship, built in 1879. It was carrying coal from Runcorn to Falmouth when it ran aground on the island.
