place

Malltraeth

BodorganPopulated coastal places in WalesRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in WalesSites of Special Scientific Interest in West GwyneddUse British English from June 2015
Villages in Anglesey
Malltraeth
Malltraeth

Malltraeth (origin: Mall (corrupt, blasted, desolate, + Traeth (beach))) is a small village in the southwest of Anglesey, in the community of Bodorgan. It is now at the end of a large bay, which used to extend much further inland, almost creating a second sea strait in the area (the Menai Strait broke through following the end of the ice age). The population as of the 2011 census was only 255.After several abortive attempts, a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) long 'cob' or dyke was completed across it during the 19th century, allowing land reclamation behind it. Despite this, the land remains very wet and prone to flooding, much of it of great natural and scientific importance as a result. The former salt marsh creeks are still visible on aerial photography and evident as shallow depressions in the fields. Coal mining occurred for a time in the underlying Carboniferous rock strata and the subsidence of these workings resulted in the lakes "Llynnau Gwaith-glo". The village takes its name from the expanse of sand which used to exist there, some of which survives downstream of the Cob. Malltraeth means "unwholesome strand" and is recorded from at least 1304. The extent of the previous strand or beach is reflected in the names Trefdraeth ("strand farm") and Glantraeth ("strand edge"), north of Malltraeth and now far from the shore. The village had two pubs: The Royal Oak and The Joiners Arms. The Royal Oak closed in 2015 and The Joiners Arms remained closed for an extended period after the COVID pandemic lockdown in 2020, however it finally reopened in early 2022. It also had a village Post Office and shop at 16 High Street, but this closed as a victim of Royal Mail making deep cuts in local post offices. A mainline railway runs just a few hundred metres north of the village, but there is no station. The nearest stations are Bodorgan, a request stop, which offers limited local journeys, along with Bangor and Holyhead, which offer more frequent access to longer distance travel to most parts of Wales, England and Scotland. On Sunday 26 September 2010, a newly constructed picnic area 'Clwt Glas' overlooking the Cefni Estuary in Malltraeth was opened by Olympic athlete Colin Jackson CBE and 99-year-old Mrs M A Edwards MBE, a long time and distinguished resident of the area. 'Clwt Glas' (Green Patch) was an area of land at the lower end of Malltraeth and was essentially the reverse side of a mound built as part of the scheme to reclaim the Cefni Marsh (Cors Ddyga) during the latter years of the 18th Century. It was transformed as a community project with the help of several grants into a picnic area, garden and information point. The long-established Meyrick landowning family of Bodorgan are located within the area, and are the owners of the Anglesey Racing Circuit near Aberffraw. Older still is the ancient standing stone found on the northern edge of the village.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Malltraeth (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 53.1931 ° E -4.3868 °
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Address

A4080
LL62 5AS , Bodorgan
Wales, United Kingdom
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Malltraeth
Malltraeth
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Nearby Places

Afon Cefni
Afon Cefni

Afon Cefni is one of the major rivers on the island of Anglesey, Wales. It is 16.9 kilometres (11 mi) long. Its source is near to the village of Capel Coch, before flowing through Bodffordd and into Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island. It continues to run south through the county town of Llangefni. Just north of the A55 the river turns and flows south-west. It passes through the flatlands of the Malltraeth Marshes, where the river course was altered in 1824, creating a canal-like straight stretch. This part of the river and the surrounding marshes, part of which is a RSPB reserve, are frequented by a variety of wetland birds which in their turn are preyed on by falcons, hawks and harriers. A cycle trail follows the straightened course of the river as it flows through the marshes.Finally it flows under a bridge carrying the North Wales Coast Railway Line at Malltraeth Sands in the south-west of the island and into the Irish Sea. The viaduct is described as "noble" and has nineteen arches. An embankment carries the A4080 across the estuary at the village of Malltraeth, half a mile below the railway bridge. Another RSPB reserve is to be found in the estuary here, Newbourough Warren. Malltraeth Pool at the north end of the estuary is a place visited by many waterbirds during their spring and autumn migrations, and other wildfowl and waders are to be seen on the estuary all winter. Newborough Forest on the southern shore is used by large numbers of ravens as a winter roost, and a peninsula and a rocky islet in the estuary are a breeding ground for shags and cormorants.Migration of fish and eels is effectively blocked by the dam at the Cefni water treatment works, holding back the Cefni reservoir. Attempts to prompt the installation of a fish pass have proven unsuccessful to date. There was a ship named after the river built in Glasgow in 1890 by a company based in Menai Bridge. There is currently a tug named Afon Cefni, operated by Holyhead Towing. It can be tracked on Ship AIS websites.

Bodorgan
Bodorgan

Bodorgan is a village and community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 Census, there were 1,503 residents in the now former electoral ward, 72.7% of them being able to speak Welsh. This increased to 1,704 at the 2011 Census but only 67.72% of this increased population were Welsh speakers.The village is served by Bodorgan railway station, which is located near the hamlets of Bethel and Llangadwaladr to the north-west, which are in the community, as is Malltraeth. It lies on an unclassified road to the southwest of the village of Hermon, through which the A4080 road passes. To the east and south of Bodorgan lies the estuary of the Afon Cefni and the extensive Malltraeth Sands.Bodorgan Hall is the largest country estate in Anglesey. The house, dovecote and a barn are Grade II listed buildings. The reasons given for listing the house are that it is a "site in a magnificent coastal position, which retains many of its original characteristics, having well preserved formal terraces; deer park still in use; substantial remains of extensive and once well known walled kitchen gardens; other, less formal, designed garden areas which have partially survived, including some planting; woodland and shooting coverts; large circular brick dovecote and other buildings of interest." Until 2013, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lived in a farmhouse on the Bodorgan Estate during the time when Prince William was serving as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot based at RAF Valley nearby.The village hosted several matches of the 2019 Inter Games Football Tournament, a replacement football tournament for the popular Island Games. The games were held in Gibraltar but due to lack of pitches there Anglesey was deemed to be a better host. The former RAF Bodorgan is nearby.