st. cwyfan's church - church in the sea (aberffraw)
St Cwyfan’s Church is near the tiny coastal village of Aberffraw and is a Grade II listed medieval Church, situated on a small tidal Island known as Cribinau. This beautiful remote attraction on Anglesey, is also known as Church in the Sea.
This is now a tidal Island, but was originally part of the mainland until erosion by the sea created it. The small island is now accessed at low tide by a small causeway, but be careful if you visit in case you get caught by the tide! If you do you may have to wait a few hours until the tide goes back out.
church in the sea - aberffraw
A map from the Jacobean period dated 1636, shows that St. Cwyfan’s Church was part of the mainland, a letter from 1770 talks about the road to the church in a poor state of repair, but there is no mention of the tide affecting access. It therefore seems to be after that date that it became Cribinau, the church in the sea.
Erosion at St. Cwyfans
By the start of the 19th century it is reported that erosion was causing graves in the church yard to be falling into the sea and as the tide continued to erode around the church, the danger of it disappearing into the sea altogether grew ever, nearer, and in 1878 a benevolent local land owner built a wall around the remaining land to protect it from the sea. It is believed that Saint Cwyfan came over from Ireland during the 6th century, the original church was built around the 12th century.
Weddings and Christenings at St. Cwyfans in Aberffraw
The church is still used today for weddings and christenings. A Sunday service is held on the first Sunday of June and August, visitors are very welcome. Church services are subject to tide times!
CONTACT: Roy Mearns - 01407 810209 Lorna Tate - 01407 810128
Anglesey Coastal Path
St. Cyfan’s church and the two beaches either side are situated on the Anglesey Coastal Path.
The Anglesey Coastal Path circumnavigates the coastline of Anglesey and is approximately 125 miles in length. The Coastal Path is divided into 12 sections and commands some of the finest coastal scenery in the United Kingdom.
St. Cwyfan’s church is on section 10 of the Coastal Path a link to the map can be seen here
The walk to the church of St. Cwyfan on the Island known as ‘Cribinau’ is a very beautiful one, parking is very limited, the walk is not the smoothest underfoot, but there is something very special and remote about this small Island and its tiny little church. The sunsets from here are pretty spectacular as well.
Llys Llewelyn, a heritage centre on the way out of the village, which is run by Anglesey County Council is a great place to stop for a coffee or a tea after your walk to St Cwyfan’s.
The tiny village of Aberffraw which once held the seat of Prince Llewelyn. The Postcode for St. Cwyfan’s is - LL63 5YR.
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