Bardsey
BACK TO THE ISLAND
Photographer Helen Iles revisits Ynys Enlli for a few days of seal watching and star shooting. She finds much had been left unchanged on this ‘Island in the Currents’ as she volunteers to protect its ways from the wild elements that encircle it
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY HELEN ILES
I’M BACK. New walls have been painted, some old walls have crumbled. A different veneer, but the island is the same. I’m glad. I thought things might have changed. New grants, new wardens. But Ynys Enlli is as I remembered.
The birds circle and swoop, the seals growl and snort, and the sound of bleating sheep is comforting. I’m still too busy in mind and energy. I need to slow down. Sitting quietly is good; it’s allowed.
Ynys Enlli or Bardsey Island lies 2 miles across Bardsey Sound at the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula, North Wales. The island is 1.5 miles long and, at its widest point, just over half a mile across. The island’s mountain rises to a height of 167 metres. I wrote an article about my first stay here for The Great Outdoors in 2019, and I’ve been enthralled with the place ever since.
This trip was split between a few days with photography friends, then as a volunteer. Volunteers are part of the community of the island. They help the full-time resident wardens, Mari and Emyr, and the seasonal wardens, Lois and Aron, prepare the houses for the season. The island has 12 properties, let out by the Enlli Trust from April to October. The salt and wind eat away at everything – without maintenance it would reduce the human presence here and take it back to basics. The houses need continual care and the gardens need tending.
A ROUGH CROSSING
A rough boat crossing and muddy walk brought me to the welcome shelter of Plas Bach. In the storm the roof, the floorboards, the walls, the windows and the gaps in between all howled.
I dozed off and on, very grateful for the shelter of the old house.
During the week we walked down to the lighthouse and watched as the huge seas pounded the shore. Seals move off the beach as the tide squeezed the island. They lumbered up onto the grass and re-powered in the sunshine. Gulls soared while the stopper waves crested and fell on the spot. Foam stirred up by the turbulent seas wobbled like blancmange.