The Cove
Porth Dafarch, the National Trust cove between Trearddur Bay and South Stack — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Porth Dafarch is the little jewel of Holy Island’s west coast — a National Trust-owned cove on the coast road between Trearddur Bay and South Stack, with a sandy beach between rocky arms, clean bathing water, rockpools for children and enough shelter to feel intimate in most weathers. In the 19th century steamers to Dublin briefly sailed from this very cove; today the traffic is kayaks, swimmers and — famously — scuba divers, for whom it is one of North Wales’s favourite shore dives.
Visiting
Parking sits right by the sand (it fills on summer afternoons — come early), and the beach is minutes from both Trearddur and the South Stack road, making it the natural swim stop on a Holy Island day. The coastal path crosses the headlands either side: the stretch north-west towards South Stack is glorious cliff walking, and the amble south-east back into Trearddur Bay makes a satisfying short circuit with an ice cream at the end.
Beneath the Surface
Divers rate Porth Dafarch for good reasons: easy entry off the sand, rocky reefs and gullies within an easy swim, resident wrasse, crabs and anemone gardens, and — with luck — a passing seal with an interest in bubbles. Snorkellers get much of the show on a calm high tide. Above water, the cove’s Victorian footnote endears: the steamer passengers who once embarked here for Dublin would recognise the beach today, minus the paddle-smoke. Facilities are seasonal and simple — toilets across the road in summer; bring the rest.
Explore Wales & the Borderlands
