St Tysilio's Church is to be found on Church Island in the shadow of the Menai Suspension Bridge. It is reached by following the path from the Menai Bridge to the Belgian Promenade, a walkway that was constructed by Flemish refugees during the first World War. The Belgian Promenade joins up with the causeway that connects the island to the mainland. A short and winding path leads under the overhanging branches of a large yew tree to the old oak church door. A plaque above the door states that the church was founded in the 7th Century by St Tysilio, but it seems to be accepted that the present church was built in the 1400's. No one knows who built the present church but it is a lovely little stone building with a grand front door.

The church is popular for weddings and services are still held here. The churchyard holds the dead of local families and of those workmen who died building the Menai Suspension Bridge. On the highest point of the island there is a magnificent monument to the local men who died in the two World Wars. It is a fantastic piece of carved granite and a worthy memorial.

Should your interests lie elsewhere than old Welsh churches and graveyards Church Island is well worth a visit for the views of the Menai Strait, both the Menai and Britannia Bridges and Ynys Gorad Goch Island, whose residents once made a living from the fish caught in the traps built on the island. And if wildlife watching is your hobby then there is a wide selection of seabirds to be seen from Church Island ( known as Ynys Tysilio in Welsh ).

Directions:    [ Map of St Tysilio's Church, Church Island  ] Follow the path from Menai Bridge to the Belgian Promenade and cross the causeway. Alternatively cross the Menai Suspension Bridge on the A5. Car Park after a few hundred yards on the left. There is a path from the old Holyhead Road (A5) down to the causeway.