Grassholm

Grassholm ( Ynys Gwales )
	Northern gannet over grassholm
Waters	St. George's Channel
Geographical location	51 ° 43 '52 " N , 5 ° 28' 47" W Coordinates: 51 ° 43 '52 " N , 5 ° 28' 47" W.
length	500 m
width	310 m
surface	8.9 ha
Highest elevation	42 m
Residents	uninhabited

Grassholm ( Welsh Gwales or Ynys Gwales ) is an uninhabited Welsh island located 13 km off the southwestern coast of Pembrokeshire and west of the island of Skomer . It is part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park .

General

Grassholm is the westernmost point of Wales and is best known for its large gannet colony . This is why the island has been owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds since 1947 , making it one of the oldest such reserves. This reserve is one of the three most important gannets in the world, alongside St Kilda and Bass Rock in Scotland . 39,000 pairs of birds breed here, around 10% of the world population. The fish-rich waters around the island are also populated by porpoises and bottlenose dolphins .

There is boat service to Grassholm from St. Justinians Lifeboat Station and Martin's Haven on the mainland.

On July 15, 1945 the cargo ship "Walter LM Russ" ran aground off Grassholm and sank, nine crew members could be fished up from the lifeboat of the Angle Lifeboat Station.

mythology

Grassholm is associated with the mythical island of Gwales from the four branches of the Mabinogi . After the "second branch" Branwen Ferch Llŷr ( "Branwen, daughter Llŷrs"), the Welsh, the severed head Bran the Blessed from Ireland return to the homeland, it will be for eight or 80 years (numerology) in a mysterious castle on Gwales kept . During this time, Bran's head lives on while his companions celebrate in blissful oblivion. Only then do they bring the head to the mainland, where it will finally be buried, namely where the White Tower now stands in the Tower of London .

Web links

Commons : Grassholm - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ History of the Angle lifeboat station: 1945 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain (= Steuermann) James Watkins for a difficult service when nine men were rescued from the steamer Walter LM Russ.
^ Myths and sagas from Wales and Britain

[1] History of the Angle lifeboat station: 1945 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain (= Steuermann) James Watkins for a difficult service when nine men were rescued from the steamer Walter LM Russ.

[2] Myths and sagas from Wales and Britain