The Little Church in the Sea
It was a beautiful winter's morning, my wife Clair had been busy all week at home in her pottery studio, Bryn Teg Ceramics. She had been working on Bespoke Commissions and on other sculptures for her stockists. We both needed a day off, time and gather inspiration. The Wilds of Anglesey and the Island make you feel free and alive. They silence the mind and help you tap and navigate the creativity. That is probably why so many artists live or visit here!
Anglesey is a island situated in the North West of Wales, it is the largest island in Wales and has a population of around 70000 people. Most of the island is dependent on tourism, attracting over a few hundred thousand visitors a day.
We headed out from Dwyran, a small quiet village in the South East corner of the island and drove for about 20 minutes to the very picturesque, quaint village of Aberffraw. It is known for its beautiful stone bridge that goes over the tidal river of Afon Ffraw. The bridge was built in the 1700s and stands in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Abberfraw is also the home to the nearby St Cwyfan's, a 12th century church in the sea.
We parked our car on the edge of the village by the bridge, it is free and has a few number of parking spaces. With our two rescue dogs Beaux and Harry, we headed along the coastal path over the bridge. Beaux is a steely grey wolf, lurcher cross and Harry a small fox red terrier type.
The route takes you along the western side of the tidal estuary. It is boggy in places but there are stepping stones that help you navigate the path. The beaches along this route are stunning, they are quiet, good places to reflect. We sat with our flask of hot tea, just being, still and looking out towards the ocean, the sun highlighting the shadows and blacks of the peaks of the Llyn Peninusla and the blue expanse of the calm Irish sea.
This part of coastal path is dependant upon the tides, it is best to walk this route when the tide is low so you can cross the beaches and get onto the bay of Porth Cwyfan. We timed it wrong so we strolled back to the car where you can drive along a small lane, at the back of the village and park up nearby.
The sun was starting to hang lower in the sky, the streaks of sunlight reflecting the calmness on the icy waters highlighting the green seaweed covered rocks. The view from the beach to the church is gorgeous. As we sat waiting for tide to subside, the songs of the sea birds echoes accross the bay, haunting songs of the curlew and the high pitched sounds of the oyster catcher.
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The tide eventually ebbed back and we were able to cross the tidal causeway. The green mossy rocks now unhidden from the depths of the sea. The causeway was built to the island to allow the local population to get to the church. Cwyfan is a beautiful place of sanctuary that dates back to the 12th century. It sits like a white beacon on the small grassy tidal island called Cribinau. The church originally stood at the end of a peninsula between two bays, Porth Cwyfan and Porth China but in later years the sea slowly eroded around the coast in the two bays creating the island, the little church in the sea.
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