North Stack (
Welsh: Ynys Arw, meaning "rugged island") is a small island situated just off
Holy Island
Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bless ...
on the north-west coast of
Anglesey. The area has been an important location in the development of
traditional climbing in Britain and has several notable classic, and also extreme, climbing routes.
Description
North Stack is the site of a redundant
fog
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
warning station, comprising a number of buildings, including the Trinity House Magazine, built-in 1861, where shells for the warning cannon were stored. These buildings now house a bird-watching observatory,
[North Stack]
holyhead.com. Retrieved 31 December 2010. giving a view of
South Stack lighthouse across Gogarth Bay,
[ and the studio of artist Philippa Jacobs.
North Stack, or Gogarth North Stack, can also refer to the headland opposite the island.
]
Rock climbing
The Precambrian
The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pêž’, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
quartzite cliffs of this headland, including the North Stack Walls and Wen Zawn, are a well-regarded area for rock climbs in Britain, and contain important traditional climbing routes such as ''A Dream of White Horses'' ( HVS 4c, Ed Drummond and Dave Pearce, 1968), ''The Cad'' ( E6 6a, Ron Fawcett, 1978), ''Skinhead Moonstomp'' ( E6 6b, Andy Pollitt
Robert Andrew Pollitt (26 October 1963 – 13 November 2019) was a British rock climber who was one of the most prominent traditional climbers and sport climbers of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1992, after having successfully repeated ''Pun ...
, 1986), ''The Bells, The Bells!'' ( E7 6b, John Redhead, 1980), ''Conan the Librarian'' ( E7 6b, Johnny Dawes, 1986), and ''The Hollow Man'' ( E8 6b, Andy Pollitt
Robert Andrew Pollitt (26 October 1963 – 13 November 2019) was a British rock climber who was one of the most prominent traditional climbers and sport climbers of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1992, after having successfully repeated ''Pun ...
, 1988).
Crash site
The stack was the site of a crash of a B-24 bomber of the US Eighth Air Force on 22 December 1944 that killed the eight crew on board."Anglesey World War II plane tragedy memorial service to be held on 70th anniversary
daily.co.uk, Retrieved 17 December 2014.
Gallery
Ynys Arw - North Stack near Caergybi (Holyhead), Ynys Mon, Wales 09.jpg, The main island of 'Ynys Arw' which gave its name to the peninsula (or headland)
Image:Gogarth Bay, Holyhead - geograph.org.uk - 86044.jpg, North Stack: the small island at the end of Gogarth Bay and the headland opposite
Image:Trinity_House_Magazine,_North_Stack,_Holyhead._-_geograph.org.uk_-_97365.jpg, Trinity House Magazine, North Stack
References
External links
Rock climbing at North Stack
{{Islands of Anglesey
Islands of Anglesey
Uninhabited islands of Wales
Precambrian Europe
Quartzite formations
Trearddur
Tourist attractions in Anglesey
Climbing areas of Wales