A Cross, a Well and a Dovecote!

So what have a cross, a well and a dovecote got in common? Well, a chap called Seiriol and a place called Penmon. Seiriol was a 6th century recluse who lived at Penmon, near to Black Point at the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Now known as St. Seiriol, he founded a church besides a well that takes his name, St.Seiriol's Well. He was known as Seiriol the Fair because of his pale complexion. The legend says that every week he would walk to meet his friend Cybi from Holy Island. They met in the centre of Anglesey and because he walked with his back to the rising sun in the morning and to the setting sun in the evening he never got sunburned! His friend Cybi, however, did the opposite and was known as Cybi the Dark!
The Danes burnt the original church and priory; the church being rebuilt in the 12th century. A century later, Llewellyn the Great granted the property to the Priestholm community who rebuilt the priory and the monastic buildings. Priestholm was the Danish name for the island we now call Puffin Island, which the Welsh call Ynys Seiriol, which was a holy island and burial place of saints and lies just off Black Point. It has the remains of a monastic settlement destroyed by Vikings who trapped King Cadwallen there in AD632. Also a semaphore station, but that's another story!
About ¼ mile behind the Priory stands the Penmon Cross, in the middle of a field. It has elaborate carvings on it and probably dates from around 1000 AD. Walk from the car park past St. Seiriol's Well to reach it. Also in the car park is Penmon Dovecote, built around 1600 by Sir Richard Bulkeley of Baron Hill, near Beaumaris, although originally the family came from the Cheadle area! The Church, Priory and Dovecote are open without charge, although there is a toll road to Black Point itself.

Take the A545 from Menai Bridge to Beaumaris, going through the town and onto the B5109. After a couple of miles turn right towards Penmon and just follow the road until you reach the Priory.