Ynys Llanddwyn
Photo via Wikimedia Commons — licence & author.
Island of the Welsh saint of lovers
This is a quick reference, not a full walked guide. The facts below — location, parking, grid reference and access — are maintained from our dataset, but we haven't published our own first-hand write-up of Ynys Llanddwyn yet. Know it well? Help us get it right.
Ynys Llanddwyn — a slender tidal island of whitewashed lighthouses, old pilot cottages and the ruined chapel of St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers — reaches off the end of a vast pine-backed beach, with the whole Snowdonia and Llŷn skyline laid out across the water. Many call it the finest sunset in Wales. Check the tide, as the island cuts off on high spring tides, and note the Newborough forest car park barrier closes at set times. Golden hour is pure magic.
Getting there
Ynys Llanddwyn is in Newborough, Anglesey, Anglesey (Ynys Môn). It's roughly 18 min (5.5 miles) from Caernarfon , and within reach of Menai Bridge (34 min) and Llanberis (35 min).
The nearest parking: Newborough beach car park through the forest toll road (£). Grid reference SH 406 645 — works on any OS map and doesn't need a phone signal.
Good to know
Check tides — the island cuts off at high springs. Forest car park barrier closes at set times; golden hour is peak magic.
🌟 Best time: Swim-warm water & the best sunsets in Wales — around June–September.
On the map
View Ynys Llanddwyn on OpenStreetMap ↗, or open it in the Explore Wales trip planner to add it to a day out with drive times and offline maps.
Staying over?
Caernarfon makes a relaxed base for exploring the area — worth staying over to catch an early start or a golden-hour finish.
Browse places to stay near Caernarfon ↗ opens Booking.com — needs signalNearby places
Make Ynys Llanddwyn part of a day out
Add it to a trip in the free Explore Wales planner — chained drive times, weather, campsite suggestions, and offline maps for when the signal drops.