Ramsey Island (Welsh: Ynys Dewi) is an island about 1 km off the coast of the St David's peninsula in Pembrokeshire on the northern side of St Brides Bay, in southwest Wales.
In Welsh the island is named after Saint David (Dewi Sant), the patron saint of Wales. It was the home of his confessor, Saint Justinian. The nearest town, strictly a city, is St David's.
Ramsey Island is less than 3.2 km (2 mi) long and its highest point is 136 metres (446 ft) above sea level. It is the third largest island in Wales, after Anglesey and Holy Island.
Nature Reserve
Owned by the RSPB, the island has spectacular sea bird cliffs, coastal scenery and heathland. Ramsey has the most important Grey Seal breeding colony in southern Britain, and is one of the best sites in Wales to see Choughs.
Other breeding species include Ravens, Common Buzzards, Peregrines, Northern Wheatears, gulls, auks, Manx Shearwaters and Guillemots.
With a permanent population of just two human residents (the RSPB warden and his wife who live in a farmhouse there), the island is otherwise uninhabited. Tourist boats sail to and around the island (7 days a week, Easter-31 October) from St Justinian's RNLI lifeboat station on the mainland.
Ramsey Island is surrounded by a number of smaller islands, islets and rock clusters, including:
- Bancyn-ffald
- The Bitches tidal race
- The Bishops and Clerks group, including:
- Carreg Rhoson and Maen Rhoson
- Carreg-trai
- Cribog
- Daufraich and Maen Daufraich
- Emsger or South Bishop
- Llechau-isaf and Llechau-uchaf
- Moelyn
- North Bishop
- Carreg-gwylan
- Meini Duon
- The Bitches
- Trwynmynachdy
- Ynys Bery
- Ynys Cantwr
- Ynys Eilun and Pont yr Eilun
- Ynys Gwelltog
External links
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Ramsey Island and surrounding area
- RSPB website
- Ramsey Island RSPB Nature Reserve
- CPRW description
- JNCC description – includes map of GB showing location
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Monday June 16, 2008 at 13:21:53 PDT (GMT -0700)
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