Further information on this walk

History and interest

• Llanddona’s haphazard pattern of development is indicative of smallholdings that were established on wasteland under the Ty Unnos or squatters’ rights system. East of the village is the SSSI Llanddona Common Nature Reserve, and there are numerous other pieces of Common heathland scattered around the area.
• Bwrdd Arthur (Arthur’s Table), or Din Sylwy is a flat-topped, steep-sided, limestone hill rising to 164m, and at its summit are the remains of an Iron Age Hillfort. The 2m-thick dry-stone wall around its perimeter, built in haste to repel invading Romans, encloses 7.5ha.
• Records of St Michael’s Church on Bwrdd Arthur’s eastern slope appear as early as 1254, but the present church dates to the early 15th century.
• A well-preserved medieval Fish Weir, designed to trap fish on an out-going tide, can be seen at low tide near the stream.
• St Dona’s Church, from which the village takes its name, is dedicated to St Dona who lived on the shore nearby. The current building is Victorian, but the first church on this site was built in 610AD.

Wildlife

At low tide the 10km² of exposed sand mud, shingle and boulders at Red Wharf Bay welcomes curlew, oystercatcher, redshank, plover, sandpipers, dunlin and, during the winter months, brent geese.

Bwrdd Arthur’s calceaous (limestone) grassland habitat is home to western gorse, common rockrose, pale St John’s wort, frog orchids, ivy broomrape and the nationally rare hoary rockrose.

Public transport

The No.58L bus from Beaumaris stops 1km from the start of this walk.

Refreshments

The beach car park at the start has a seasonal café, as well as picnic tables, toilets and a tourist information hut.

Llanddona has no cafés or shops but its pub Yr Owain Glyndwr serves food.