Ynys Gored Goch at high spring tide (10.4 metres), 30 March 2006
Ynys Gored Goch (also known in English as Whitebait island ) is a small island in the Menai Straitbetween Gwynedd and Anglesey in North Wales.
It is situated in the stretch of the strait called the Swellies between the two famous bridges, Thomas Telford’s Menai Suspension Bridge and Robert Stephenson’s Britannia Bridge. Because of its position, views of Ynys Gored Goch often feature in photographs of the bridges. There is a single house with outbuildings occupying most of the space on the island, and access is only by boat. Around the island are remnants of mediæval fish traps.
The tidal flow in the Menai Strait around the island is so severe at times that large overfalls and whirlpools develop, denying access to the island for periods of a few hours in each tidal cycle. The tidal range is also high with spring tides in each year exceeding 10 metres. Occasional storm surges can push the high tide above 11.2 metres. In tides over about 10 metres, water comes up to and can invade the house.
There was a small colony of Common Terns here, but there has been no record of breeding in the last few years.
