Porth Swtan
Church Bay
A small rocky-and-sandy bay backed by cliffs, with nearby seafood, giant scones and Anglesey's last surviving thatched cottage.
- Best for
- Cliff walks, the beach and local seafood
- Give it
- Time for the coast, the cottage and a meal
- Don't miss
- Swtan's earth floor and the Lobster Pot's offshore catch
The Fox verdict
Beach, seafood and the last thatched cottage
Come for Porth Swtan's sand, shingle and high cliffs; stay for a thatched-cottage museum and two family-run food stops.
Church Bay is little more than a handful of houses near the beach. Its visitor experiences include a strenuous coastal circuit, the restored Swtan cottage, fresh seafood above the cove and Wavecrest's giant scones at the lookout.
Where to go
Places in Church Bay
Every place below is checked against a published source, listed with what it is and how long to give it.
Local signatures
3 placesPorth Swtan / Church Bay Beach
A roughly 300-metre rocky-and-sandy bay, sandy in the middle and shingly below the cliffs, used for swimming, sunbathing, rock pooling, evening barbecues and surfing.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Church Bay
- Access
- The beach is reached by a very steep but good path from the lookout. Parking at the bay is very limited; arrive early in summer.
The Lobster Pot
A family-run restaurant established in 1946, serving Welsh pot-caught lobster and crab landed by local boats; the menu also includes Welsh beef and children's dishes.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 90 minutes
- Locality
- above the cove
- Access
- Booking is recommended, especially at weekends.
Wavecrest Café
A family-run beach café known for giant scones with strawberries and cream, fish pie and cheese and onion pie made from traditional family recipes.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 45 minutes
- Locality
- at the lookout above the beach
Walks & outdoors
1 placeChurch Bay to Ynys y Fydlyn Circular
A high-cliff circular to the tiny split islet of Ynys y Fydlyn, where a collapsed cave or blowhole appears to have severed the rock from the mainland.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 180 minutes
- Locality
- Church Bay to Ynys y Fydlyn
- Access
- The route is strenuous, with steep ups and downs; good boots and hill gear are advised.
History & heritage
1 placeSwtan Heritage Museum
Anglesey's last surviving thatched cottage is a restored crogloft dwelling with an earth floor and period artefacts; children can feed hens, and the site also has vintage tools, a herb garden, an orchard and a sheltered picnic area.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 60 minutes
- Locality
- Church Bay
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Three ways to explore Church Bay
Signature outings
The island's last thatch
See Swtan's earth floor and period artefacts, then feed the hens and explore the herb garden and old Welsh apple varieties.
Sand, shingle and rock pools
Take the very steep but good path from the lookout to Porth Swtan's sandy middle, shingly cliff edges and rock pools.
The split islet
Follow the strenuous high-cliff circular to Ynys y Fydlyn, a tiny islet split in two beside a collapsed cave or blowhole.
The village story
Church Bay Village Guide
A small Anglesey bay shaped by family fishing, giant scones, a steep beach path, a landmark church and a cottage restored from ruin.
Lobster by the metre
John and Freda Wilson turned their Church Bay cottage, Glan-yr-Afon, into a café serving lobster teas in 1946. Four generations later, the Lobster Pot is back in family hands, with Chef Steff and Wendy supporting the team and local boats landing Welsh pot-caught lobster and crab. The catch shapes dishes such as Lobster Thermidor with white wine, cream and mustard, Lobster Mornay with Welsh cheddar, scallops in garlic butter and crab under a parmesan gratin. Welsh beef offers another choice. Book ahead at weekends.
Scones above the beach
At the lookout above the beach, Wavecrest Café is a family-run stop for giant scones with strawberries and cream, fish pie and cheese and onion pie. The kitchen draws on traditional family recipes, and the conservatory has sea views. It is a place to linger over tea before taking the steep path down to the sand.
Down the steep path
From the lookout a very steep path drops to the beach, about 300 metres across, sandy in the middle and shingly under the cliffs. People swim, sunbathe, explore the rock pools, light barbecues in the evening and surf. On an early-evening walk north, rabbits appear along the cliffs while seagulls ride the updraughts. Offshore to the north-west, the Skerries Lighthouse sits on the horizon, with sunset views from the top of the path.
The church and the pub up the hill
Church Bay takes its English name from St Rhuddlad's Church at Llanrhuddlad, visible from the bay and a landmark for sailors. Porth Swtan, the Welsh name, means Port Whiting. Up the hill at Rhydwyn, the Church Bay Inn serves drinks but no food, offers up to two real ales and has a terraced garden overlooking Holyhead Bay, as well as glamping pods.
The cottage brought back
The village's one museum is the last thatched cottage on Anglesey. Swtan was restored from a collapsed ruin — its roof beam had been an old ship's mast, and it rotted through — reopened in 2000 and run since as a charity. Inside is an earth floor, a herb garden, hens to feed and a small orchard of old Welsh apples. Gwilym Jones, the last person born in the cottage, went on to serve for years as the restoration trust's treasurer.
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A guide with a point of view
Written from research. Edited for real journeys.
Use the Official site links for live practical details, then use this guide for context, ideas and room to explore.
Sources
Every place on this page is checked against a published source. Each entry links the record we used and names who publishes it.
- Porth Swtan / Church Bay Beach — visitanglesey.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Swtan Heritage Museum — swtan.cymru operator, sector body or destination organisation
- The Lobster Pot — thelobsterpot.net operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Wavecrest Café — wavecrestcafe.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Church Bay to Ynys y Fydlyn Circular — visitanglesey.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation