03-May-201 Cribinan and St Cwyfan's church

Island 28 of our 100 Island adventure.

 

We were going to walk out to Cribinan along the coastal path from Aberffraw,  just over the bridge at the estuary and sand dunes. The sand dunes are quite a feature as some are 30 feet high. We walked along the village side of the river.

Cribinan itself is tiny and tidal with a 12^th century church , St Cwyfans, perched on the top. The walled (to protect it from sea erosion)island is only a little bigger than the building, which stands out being white washed, for all the world looking like a green iced cake!

 As we started the walk the mist started to clear, burnt off by the sun.  It was a 4 mile circular route hardest on the way to the island being slippery and boggy in places though beautiful with views across to Snowdonia.

 

We walked along the estuary out to sea picking our way over rocks, then by fields where erosion had taken the land back to the fence posts. We could hear intermittent engine roaring and I thought it was the engines of model planes but when we were nearing the village on the way back the noise was very intrusive and we saw it was cars on a race track on the hill opposite Cribinan.

 

The tide was almost right out and we think you probably get 3 hours either side of it to visit the island. We walked on the wet sand until we got to the rocks. The shells have been pretty and varied and this beach is great for rock pooling. A line of dark boulders, maybe once used as stepping stones as the tide comes in, marks the route to the island steps. At the steps there is a warning sign about the steep drops to the sea or rocks below.

 

The church wasn’t originally built on an island. Sometime after the 17^th century a storm is thought to result in its formation. In the 19^th century graves were falling into the sea so the wall was built around the island giving it its distinctive cake like appearance. There are few graves left but one looks particularly ancient. The church has been restored before but it obviously needs more doing to it. There are services here in the summer. I am surprised they don’t empty the collection box built into the wall. I had to poke something in the hole to push the coins down, it was so full.

 

In 2008 the village was presented with an organ for the church which was carried across the causeway by churchwardens and farmers. We couldn’t see inside the church unfortunately as the windows let in little light and all was locked up!

 

We enjoyed a roast dinner at the Crown in Aberffraw and some real ale. It was 2 hours in the car home and 2 days later my legs still ached from all the stairs at South Stack!