Ynys Gorad Goch
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| Geography | |
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| Coordinates | 53°13′6.8″N 4°10′51.4″W / 53.218556°N 4.180944°WCoordinates: 53°13′6.8″N 4°10′51.4″W / 53.218556°N 4.180944°W |
| Area | 0.0018 sq mi (0.0047 km2) |
| Length | 0.06 mi (0.1 km) |
| Width | 0.03 mi (0.05 km) |
| Coastline | 0.18 mi (0.29 km) |
| Highest elevation | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Administration | |
| County | Anglesey |
Ynys Gored Goch (trans. English: Red Weir Island also known as Whitebait Island) is a small island in the Menai Strait between Gwynedd and Anglesey in North Wales. It is situated in the stretch of the strait called the Swellies between Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge and Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge.
The island is occupied by the main house and the converted smoke house where locally caught fish were processed. Access is only by boat.
The earliest known document relating to the island dates from 1590 when it is listed as belonging to the Diocese of Bangor which leased it for £3 and a barrel of herrings a year as the island was used as a fishing trap. During high tides fish would swim into the traps set near the island. The catch would then be collected at the subsequent low tide. After 1888 when the house was sold into private hands the whitebait (herring), business was developed, and growing tourism in the 20th century meant people would often travel to the island to taste the fish. A bell by the Anglesey shore summoned a boat to carry visitors across to enjoy a 'Gorad Whitebait Tea' which comprised a pot of tea, brown bread and butter and whitebait ‘fried in a basket’, priced one shilling.
The strong tidal flow in the Menai Strait creates small whirlpools, hence the name the "Swellies". In olden times access by rowing boat was restricted by the tides but nowadays modern boats can access anytime. Mains water and electricity were installed in 1997. Pumping systems mean the two houses no longer flood. Due to the large tidal range of the Menai Strait the size of the island varies between 0.5 acres (0.2 ha) and 3.7 acres (1.5 ha).
The tidal range of the menai strait is known to exceed 10 metres (33 ft) during high with spring tides which makes it appears that the buildings are on two separate islands. Occasional storm surges have even increased water levels up to 11.2 metres (37 ft).
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Wikipedia