Shell Island Mochras Wales
Shell Island, also known as Mochras, is a tidal peninsula south of Harlech on the west Wales coast, accessible by a causeway that is covered at high tide and remarkable for its enormous collection of shells of over two hundred species deposited by Atlantic currents at this particular point of the coast. The island is privately managed as a camping site of unusual character, with the shell collecting, the coastal scenery and the views across Cardigan Bay toward the LlÅ·n Peninsula providing a distinctive beach and camping experience on the southern edge of Snowdonia National Park. The shell diversity at Shell Island is exceptional and is the result of the hydrodynamics of the bay at this specific location, where currents from across the Irish Sea and the Celtic approaches converge and deposit their accumulated shell material. Dedicated shell collectors travel to Mochras from across Britain and Europe, and the site has produced shells of species not recorded anywhere else on the British coast, a diversity of marine life reflecting the range of habitats in the surrounding sea areas. The best shell collecting is after storms when fresh material is deposited on the beach. The peninsula provides panoramic views across Cardigan Bay that encompass the entire arc of the bay from the Lleyn Peninsula to the north and Bardsey Island at its tip to the Pembrokeshire coast to the south, one of the finest marine panoramas available from the Welsh coast. The beaches on both sides of the peninsula, one facing the open bay and one facing the sheltered estuary behind, provide contrasting conditions for bathing and exploration. The Harlech Castle above the coast to the north and the Snowdonia mountains visible to the east provide the landscape context for a location that combines natural interest with extraordinary coastal scenery.