Porth Diana

A southerly gem of Holy Island’s heathland habitat where you can find the spotted rock-rose – Anglesey’s county flower.

Location

Ravenspoint Road

Trearddur Bay

LL65 2AQ - houses adjacent to the reserve

OS Map Reference

SH254781 - reserve entrance
OS Explorer Map 262

Know before you go

Size

2 hectares

Entry fee

Parking information

No parking adjacent to the reserve; park on Ravenspoint Rd and enjoy the walk around the bay towards the reserve

Grazing animals

Ponies or cattle, winter.

Walking trails

Uneven public right of way and path through heather and grassland

Access

The reserve includes kissing gates, has no disabled access, and comprises fairly standard, uneven countryside terrain.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

Mid summer for spotted rockrose

About the reserve

A great addition to a day at the seaside, this little reserve may not look like much from a distance – but look closer and the array of flowers and plants will keep you busy. The mix of grassland and heathland provides habitat for a variety of species, a few hard to find elsewhere. In summer, the heathland is dotted with pale pink heath spottedorchids and the grassland awash with yellow flag iris and deep pink ragged robin in damper areas; whilst the rock outcrops support many species of colourful lichens at all times of year. Add some colour to your beach trip and make time for a visit!

Coastal ponies

In order to keep the grassland open and the heathland varied and productive, ponies or cattle graze the site and the new gorse scrub is removed. Were this not to happen, the site would, over time, become covered with gorse and the numbers of different habitats at the site would decrease – in turn meaning that fewer other species could thrive there. Maintaining an open landscape is especially important for some of the smaller flowering plants – including the spotted rock-rose.

Directions

Head North West towards Trearddur Bay on the B4545, turning Left onto Ravenspoint Road just before the bay. Park here where permitted and walk up Porth Diana Lane, bearing Right and accessing the reserve via the public footpath (SH 254 381).