Swellies
Encyclopedia
The Swellies is a stretch of the Menai Strait
in North Wales
. The most popular use of the name is for the stretch between the Britannia Bridge
and the Menai Bridge
.
It is notable for its difficulty in safely navigating its shoals and rocks due to the whirlpool
s and surges that are the result of the tides washing around the island of Anglesey
at different speeds. There are several small island in The Swellies the largest of which are Church Island
and Ynys Gored Goch
.
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
in North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The most popular use of the name is for the stretch between the Britannia Bridge
Britannia Bridge
Britannia Bridge is a bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. It was originally designed and built by Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of wrought iron rectangular box-section spans for carrying rail traffic...
and the Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge is a small town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford...
.
It is notable for its difficulty in safely navigating its shoals and rocks due to the whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
s and surges that are the result of the tides washing around the island of Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
at different speeds. There are several small island in The Swellies the largest of which are Church Island
Church Island
Church Island is a small island in the Menai Strait on the shores of Anglesey to which it is attached by a short causeway that is reachable only on foot off the Belgian Promenade. The whole of the island is taken up with St Tysilio's church, constructed in the 15th century, and the churchyard. ...
and Ynys Gored Goch
Ynys Gored Goch
Ynys Gored Goch is a small island in the Menai Strait between Gwynedd and Anglesey in North Wales. It is situated in the stretch of the strait called the Swellies between Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge and Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge.Most of the island is occupied by a single...
.