The Skerries, Isle of Anglesey

One of the islets
Map of The Skerries

The Skerries (Welsh: Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniaid) (grid reference SH268948), coming from the Old Norse word sker, are a group of sparsely vegetated rocky islets (skerries), with a total area of about 17 hectares (42 acres) lying 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) offshore from Carmel Head at the northwest corner of Anglesey, Wales. The islands are important as a breeding site for seabirds, and they attract divers, who come to visit the numerous shipwrecks. The Skerries Lighthouse sits atop the highest point in the islands.

The islands can be visited by charter boat from Holyhead. The individual islets are accessible from one another at low tide and by small bridges.

The name "Skerry" is the Scottish diminutive of the Old Norse "sker", and means a small rocky reef or island.[1] The Welsh name for these islands, 'Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniaid', means "Islands of the Seals".[2] An alternative name provided by some English-language sources is 'St Daniel's Isle'.[3]

  1. ^ "skerry". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  2. ^ "moelrhon". Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  3. ^ "moelrhon". Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. Retrieved 13 August 2018.