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Conservation
& Local History
The sea has been the main link with the outside world and provider
of sustenance for many communities on Llyn for centuries. Two
hundred years ago, farm goods such as
butter and cheese were exported from small ports such as Porth Ysgaden.
Farmers were also dependent on salting and selling herring. Eglwys
Llandegwnning, a small and bare church, has a very unusual tower in
the form of a petter pot. Eglwys Llangian, however, is an unusually
long church, first recorded in the 13th century. The oldest part of
the present church is the roof, which dates from the 15th century.
The vast
double church of Saint Elnion, Llanengan, is particularly beautiful
with much natural daylight. Pilgrims' offerings, kept in a large oak
chest, made this a rich church.
 The
screen and communion plates are believed to have come from Ynys
Enlli (Bardsey)
The Afon
Soch begins its journey in the vicinity of Mynydd Cefnamwlch, snakes
its way through Morfa Neigwl and flows into the sea at Pen Cei,
Abersoch. The Welsh word 'soch' is said to be the same as the word 'hwch'
(sow). Vegetation along the riverbank provides shelter and breeding
areas for mammals including bats, hedgehogs, badgers and maybe
otters. It also forms a woodland corridor for a great diversity of
bird species from owls and woodpeckers to tits and treecreepers.
Caterpillars and other invertebrates feed on overhanging trees, and
drop into the water. These, together with many aquatic invertebrates
including the larvae of mayfly and caddis, provide an important
source of food for fish.
Ysgol Botwnnog (School) was established in the 15th century by Henry
Rowland, who later became Bishop of Bangor.
14 small ships were built in the harbour at Abersoch between 1774
and 1854. The beach at nearby Trwyn y Fach, which now belongs to the
National Trust, is sheltered and popular.
The two St Tudwal Islands where, according to tradition, Saint
Tudwal lived in the 6th century, are situated in the bay off
Abersoch. It is said that it was once possible to walk from Ynys
Fach (the smaller of the two, and the nearest to the shore) to Trwyn
yr Wylfa on the mainland at a time of very low
 tide.
A Trinity House lighthouse was erected on this island in 1877.
Father Henry Bailey' Maria Hughes and his followers attempted to
re-establish a monastic society, but their monastery was destroyed
in 1887 by an enormous storm.
The Llyn Countryside Management Project was set up by Cyngor
Dosbarth Dwyfor in 1985. Practical work is undertaken on public
footpaths and protecting the landscape in order to safeguard the
variety of wildlife, such as the chough depicted on their logo.
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