Gwynedd's Mysterious Sites -------------Hauntings------------ Bryn Hall ---------------Stone Circles----------- ---------------Major Sites----------- Llanddwyn Island ---------------Legends----------- Dinas Emrys Yr Ogaf Ddu Ogaf Arthur Dinas Emrys ---------------Burial Chambers----------- Barclodiad-y-Gawres Bryn Celli Ddu ---------------Folklore----------- Bardsey Island Conway Bay Cader Idris Carn Mach Arthur Lake Bala Bedd Branwen Mount Snowdon ---------------Lost Lands----------- Carmarthen Bay Home Site Map Gwynedd Map England Map Scotland Map Wales Map Bardsey Island The island is also known as the island of the currents and the saints. There are said to be the graves of 20,000 saints interred on the island, and legend suggests that anybody buried here will not go to hell no matter how wicked his deeds. As well as being the burial place for monks and saints, it is said to be the final resting place of Merlin, who sleeps in a cave guarding the treasures of Britain, waiting for a time when he is needed again. The island was colonized by St Cadfan in 516, and was the home to an Augustinian Abbey. A place of pilgrimage for many years three trips here was said to equal one trip to Rome. The actual trip over to Bardsey Island was very treacherous due to the unpredictable currents within Bardsey Sound; the pilgrimage must have been a hair-raising experience. The isle is said to be haunted by ghostly monks, sometimes seen on the shore at night. Their appearance is said to foretell misfortune in the area. St Mary's Well on the Island has a curious tradition associated with it. If you went to the well, got a mouth full of water, walked back up the steep steps leading to the church, and then walked around the church three times still holding the water in your mouth you would be granted a wish. Map ref: SH 122 224 Directions: The island lies off the Lynn Peninsula.