Ynys Lochtyn
Encyclopedia
Ynys Lochtyn is a tiny island
on the coast of Cardigan Bay
, Wales
, between the town of New Quay
, Ceredigion
and the village of Llangrannog
.
At low-tide it is possible to visit the island by using a short section of the Ceredigion Coast Path
to gain access to the area of sea cliffs on a peninsula
adjacent to the island. Then it is possible to carefully climb down the cliff between the island and the mainland and cross the short rock ledge and then, by entering a small cave where there are stone ledges that can be climbed, to gain access to the island.
There is also excellent snorkelling available around the island, but care must be taken as ocean current
s can be unpredictable and strong at times.
There are also two sandy beach
es on the western and the eastern side of the mainland adjacent to the island. The eastern beach is often mostly in shade from the cliffs above, but is more sheltered from westerly winds and currents, whilst the western beach is mostly in sunshine but can suffer from breezy conditions.
In February 1997, a Nissan Mistral
(called Nissan Terrano in UK) driven by a Coastguard
Officer (who was carrying out a survey prior to arranging an air-sea rescue
practice test) slipped on wet grass on the cliffs above the beach adjacent to Ynys Lochtyn and it was unable to gain traction. It slipped backwards to the cliff and fell down the cliff onto the beach below. The coastguard officer managed to jump clear before impact with the beach and was mostly unhurt as he landed in shallow water. The vehicle landed on its roof and was totally crushed. The local Coastguard team from New Quay removed the Coastguard radios and other equipment from the vehicle the same day. The vehicle was then left on the beach. Later the tidal movement drove the vehicle up against the cliffs and rocks which caused considerable further damage for several days before it was finally removed by the Coastguard authority.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
on the coast of Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, between the town of New Quay
New Quay
New Quay is a seaside town in Ceredigion, West Wales with a resident population of around 1,200 people. Located on Cardigan Bay with a harbour and large sandy beaches, it remains a popular seaside resort and traditional fishing town.-History:...
, Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
and the village of Llangrannog
Llangrannog
Llangrannog is a small, coastal village and seaside resort in Ceredigion, Wales, seven miles south of New Quay. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llangrannog was then 796 people...
.
At low-tide it is possible to visit the island by using a short section of the Ceredigion Coast Path
Ceredigion Coast Path
The Ceredigion Coast Path is a waymarked long distance footpath in the United Kingdom, on the coast of Ceredigion, Wales.-The route:The coastal path runs along the Welsh Heritage Coast from Ynyslas just to the north of Aberystwyth south along Cardigan Bay to meet the well established Pembrokeshire...
to gain access to the area of sea cliffs on a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
adjacent to the island. Then it is possible to carefully climb down the cliff between the island and the mainland and cross the short rock ledge and then, by entering a small cave where there are stone ledges that can be climbed, to gain access to the island.
There is also excellent snorkelling available around the island, but care must be taken as ocean current
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
s can be unpredictable and strong at times.
There are also two sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es on the western and the eastern side of the mainland adjacent to the island. The eastern beach is often mostly in shade from the cliffs above, but is more sheltered from westerly winds and currents, whilst the western beach is mostly in sunshine but can suffer from breezy conditions.
In February 1997, a Nissan Mistral
Nissan Mistral
The Nissan Terrano II is a mid size SUV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan. It was also made by Nissan's Spanish subsidiary Nissan Motor Ibérica S.A. for the European market, where it was marketed as Nissan Terrano II, and also supplied under an OEM agreement to Ford Europe for sale as...
(called Nissan Terrano in UK) driven by a Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
Officer (who was carrying out a survey prior to arranging an air-sea rescue
Air-sea rescue
Air-sea rescue is the coordinated search and rescue of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people who have survived the loss of their sea-going vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplanes, helicopters, submarines, rescue boats and ships...
practice test) slipped on wet grass on the cliffs above the beach adjacent to Ynys Lochtyn and it was unable to gain traction. It slipped backwards to the cliff and fell down the cliff onto the beach below. The coastguard officer managed to jump clear before impact with the beach and was mostly unhurt as he landed in shallow water. The vehicle landed on its roof and was totally crushed. The local Coastguard team from New Quay removed the Coastguard radios and other equipment from the vehicle the same day. The vehicle was then left on the beach. Later the tidal movement drove the vehicle up against the cliffs and rocks which caused considerable further damage for several days before it was finally removed by the Coastguard authority.