Porth Dafarch

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The beach at Porth Dafarch

Porth Dafarch is a sandy beach resort on the west coast of Holy Island, Anglesey, close to Holyhead.

The bay is roughly 100 yards across and opens out south-west into the Irish Sea. Backed by cliffs and in close proximity to campsites, it features a sheltered and marked bathing area and opportunities for rockpooling and rambling. It is also popular for watersports, particularly windsurfing, surfing, canoeing, sailing and jet skiing.

The geology of the area is mainly foliated schist.

The origins of the name are uncertain. Although some claim that the name is a contraction of Porth Dau Farch ("Harbour of the Two Stallions"), scholars are fairly sure that this is not the case. Indeed, in documents the name has been recorded as Porth Davagh ("Davagh's Harbour") (1545), Porth Daverch (1878), Porth y Dafarch (1799), Porth y Daferch (1789), and the present Porth Dafarch (since 1838).[1] It has been tentatively suggested that "Tafarch" (which takes a soft mutation after porth to become "Dafarch") was a personal name, albeit not a common one.[2]

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