Cemaes and Llanbadrig
The northernmost stretch of Welsh coast, with a church on a headland founded by St Patrick after a shipwreck, and cliffs of extraordinarily contorted rock.
- Distance
- 4.3 mi / 7 km
- Time
- 2 hr 20
- Ascent
- 180 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- There and back
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Follow the coast path east from Cemaes past Llanbadrig church and on towards Wylfa Head, back the same way. Cliff walking with steady undulation.
Worth knowing
- Llanbadrig is the only church in Wales dedicated to St Patrick, who is said to have been wrecked on Middle Mouth offshore.
- The rocks here are among the oldest and most folded in Wales, and the cliffs show it plainly.
- Grey seals haul out in the coves below the path.
What you’ll see
The church on its headland, twisted Precambrian rock, seals and seabirds.
Background
Tradition holds Patrick was shipwrecked here in 440 and founded the church in gratitude. The building was restored in the 1880s with Islamic-influenced decoration paid for by Lord Stanley, a Muslim convert.