Porth Dafarch is a small

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

on the west coast of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

. The inlet is on the west side of

Holy Island, Anglesey Holy Island ( cy, Ynys Gybi, 'the island of (Saint) Cybi') is an island () on the western side of the larger Isle of Anglesey, Wales, from which it is separated by the Cymyran Strait. It is called "Holy" because of the high concentration of ...

about southwest of

Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and is ...

and northwest of

Trearddur Bay Trearddur or Trearddur Bay ( cy, Bae Trearddur) is a village, seaside resort and community south of Holyhead on the west coast of Holy Island off the north-west coast of Anglesey in Wales. The community includes the small settlement of Penrho ...

. It has a sandy beach and is a popular visitor destination. In 2021 Porth Dafarch beach awarded as

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit non-gov ...

Porth Dafarch in May 2021 with lockdown in place 01

Toponym

The origin of the Welsh name is uncertain: although some claim that the placename is a contraction of ''Porth Dau Farch'' ("Harbour of the Two Stallions"), scholars are fairly sure that this is not the case. Indeed, in documents the name has been recorded as ''Porth Davagh'' ("Davagh's Harbour") (1545), ''Porth Daverch'' (1878), ''Porth y Dafarch'' (1799), ''Porth y Daferch'' (1789), and the present ''Porth Dafarch'' (since 1838). It has been tentatively suggested that "Tafarch" (which takes a soft mutation after ''porth'' to become "Dafarch") was a personal name, albeit not a common one.

Geology

Porth Dafarch in May 2021 with lockdown in place 02

The bay, which is roughly 100 metres across, is created from

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

rock that has been eroded into high cliffs and sea caves. As part of

, it belongs to the large geological feature known as the Monian Supergroup. It opens out southwest into the Irish Sea.

History

Porth Dafarch was used from the mid-17th to early-19th century as an alternative to the main port of

when it was affected by adverse weather conditions in the Irish Sea. Passengers would use the sheltered bay to set sail for Dublin in Ireland. However, with the commencement of a steam service in 1822 (and the construction of the Holyhead Breakwater), Porth Dafarch was no longer required as an alternative port
The old customs post
can still be seen, dating from 1819. It allowed mail and passengers to be landed on Holyhead Island when Northerly winds made landing at Holyhead impossible. By 1873, the new harbour was completed at Holyhead making the customs post redundant. The Grade 2 listed building is fenced off from public access due to its poor condition. The bay is a popular visitor destination because of its sandy beach and the opportunity for rock-pooling. It is also popular for watersports, particularly windsurfing,

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

, sailing and jet skiing. Scuba divers are able to view the ''Missouri'', a 3000-ton vessel that was wrecked in 1886 on its way to Boston. The bay is in close proximity to campsites and the

Anglesey Coastal Path The Anglesey Coastal Path (formally the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path) is a long-distance footpath around the island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) in North Wales. The route is part of the Wales Coast Path. Description The path mainly follows the c ...

. A marine fibre-optic cable that links Ireland to the UK makes landfall at Porth Dafarch. The CeltixConnect, which consists of 72 fibre pairs, was laid over a period of about 30 days between mid-December 2011 and mid-January 2012.

References

External links

photos of Porth Dafarch and surrounding area on geograph
{{authority control Trearddur Coast of Anglesey Villages in Anglesey Beaches of Anglesey Underwater diving sites in Wales Blue Flag beaches