Heritage Coasts (England and Wales)

There are 43 designated Heritage Coasts in England and Wales. The "heritage coast" scheme was initiated to protect the coastline of special scenic and environmental value from undesirable development. Much of the designated coastline is owned by the National Trust, through its Project Neptune appeal.

Some 31% of the coast in England and 42% in Wales is protected under the heritage coast scheme. Many of these coasts are part of larger National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the protected area extends inland for an average of 1 1/2 miles.

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Bardsey Island - Llyn Peninsula

Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli), the legendary "Island of 20,000 saints", lies 2 miles off the Llŷn Peninsula. The Welsh name means "The Island in the Currents", although its English name refers to the "Island of the Bards", or possibly the island of the Viking chieftain, "Barda". Bardsey is less than a square mile in area and has been an important religious site since Saint Cadfan built a monastery in 516. In medieval times it was a major centre of pilgrimage and, by 1212, belonged to the Augustinian Canons Regular. The monastery was dissolved and its buildings demolished by Henry VIII in 1537, but the island remains an attraction for pilgrims to this day.

seascape island wild flowers rocks sea coastal coastline Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Heritage Coast

From Snowdonia and North Wales