The hidden sea caves of North Wales that look like a tropical paradise

North Wales Live

17-05-2025

A stretch of rugged coastline on Anglesey offers some of the finest clifftop walks in Wales - the views are spectacular, the sea air bracing. But for some, it's below where the real magic lies.
Here, around the corner from Rhoscolyn on Holy Island, is an intricate array of inlets, clefts and tiny coves hewn out by the sea. Just beyond Rhoscolyn headland are the area's two most distinctive features, the natural sea arches of Bwa Du (Black Arch) and Bwa Gwyn (White Arch), the latter moulded from white quartzite rocks.
At the foot of the coastline's towering cliffs are several caves that can be reached only by kayak. One, gaping open like a mouth with giant fangs, has been christened Electric Blue by climbers who can often by seen clambering up the rockface above it.
Perhaps the most impressive is a sea cave known colloquially at the Blowhole. On the right day, when conditions are calm and sunshine streams in, it's like entering a cathedral, with light dancing on the azure water and scattering across rock walls.
Taking a group of Swiss visitors to the cave this week was Eila Wilkinson, an Amlwch -based kayak guide and coach.
'I must have visited this cave a million times,' she said. 'But this week it was extraordinarily spectacular. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
'After entering the cave you come to an open hole at the far end with a shaft of light beaming into the water. With it being so calm, the water was clear and the light turned it emerald. It was absolutely stunning.'
Having coached kayakers for 16 years, operating her own business for the last seven, Eila knows every inch of Anglesey 's coastline. When swells deepen and the wind picks up, Blowhole Cave gives up another of its secrets.
'You can hear the hiss of escaping air from small gap in the rock,' she said, mimicking the sound. 'It's like a dragon is breathing inside.'
Millennia of history are exposed on a coastline composed of intricate layers of folded rock – one reason why Anglesey is an UNESCO Global GeoPark due to its geological heritage.
Weird formations abound, from gargoyle rocks to the brightly coloured Serpent's Cave further up at Porth Rhwydau.
Climbing is popular on the area's cliffs - though further up the coast at The Range, a six-month exclusion zone is now in place for all adventure activities.
At Rhoscolyn headland, the most sure-footed inhabitants are an unlikely pair of Kashmiri goats uprooted from Llandudno's Great Orme.
Startled kayakers passing by often come across them lounging on ledges and gazing curiously at the day-glo interlopers with floats instead of legs.
Successive generations of goats have occupied the cliffs. They were introduced in the hope their grazing would improve habitats for chough, the red-legged crows that are among Wales' most iconic birds.
By last year, there were rumours one goat had disappeared, having been a little too casual on the cliffs.
The other, presumably lonely, was said to have begun hanging out with local sheep.
Two replacement goats were shipped in and they have since become firmly established, named Branwen and Seren by Rhoscolyn schoolchildren.
Often Eila brings novice kayakers to this stretch of coast purely to experience its tidal races. Thanks to its rocky geology and tidal range, Holy Island has some of the world's best examples.
Those near Rhoscolyn are slightly gentler than tidal races at South and North Stacks. They can be found at Ynysoedd Gwylanod (Seagulls Islands), rocky outcrops on which a navigational beacon sits on the largest to warn vessels of the dangers they pose.
Paddleboarders steer clear of this place, it being the preserve only of experienced kayakers.
'The tidal races are notoriously fast and dangerous,' said Aila, an expedition leader who has solo circumnavigated Ireland and the Outer Hebrides.
'But with a guide, it's a good training ground for novices. If you want to explore the area safely, I'd recommend getting in touch with one of Anglesey's kayak guides.
'People come to Anglesey purely to learn about the island's tides, which are amongst the strongest in the world. If you experience them here, you can safely navigate pretty much anywhere.'
Lord Nelson of Trafalgar said much the same about the Menai Strait.
Anglesey Coastal Path runs above Blowhole Cave, though views of its cavity are obscured by an impressively high dry stone wall. It's near safety railings where the path narrows above a sheer drop.
When the wind and waves pick up, the hidden blowhole spews out spray across surrounding farmland.
In nearby Porth Saint, St Gwenfaen and her fellow missionaries were said to have landed on Anglesey in the 6th century.
Originally from Scotland, or possibly the Isle of Man, she is reputed to have founded a cell on Rhoscolyn Head having climbed the cliffs.
Half a mile away in Rhoscolyn is the only church in Wales dedicated to St Gwenfaen. Once an important place of pilgrimage, Rhoscolyn itself was formerly called Llanwenfaen (Church of Gwenfaen).
On the headland, 230 metres from the blowhole, is St Gwenfaen's well, one of the best preserved on Anglesey. Over the last century it's become associated with mental wellbeing, secured by offering two white pebbles.
In reality, a bracing walk or paddle along this spectacular coastline will do the job just as well. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday
Details about Eila Wilkinson Sea Kayaking can be found here.