Judging by this photograph you would think these houses were floating away, but despite aquatic appearances the lovely white-washed properties are firmly anchored in place.
That’s because although the abodes on the island of Ynys Gorad Goch look as if water might overwhelm them, they are actually safely out of reach of high tide.
The unusual address is centred in the Menai Strait, a fast-moving relatively shallow body of tidal water that flows between the island of Anglesey and the North Wales mainland.
According to NorthWalesLive, a photo from Susan Hughes posted this week on social media sparked interest around the world as it showed water edging up flood walls protecting the isle, which was once known as “Fantasy Island”.
For those unfamiliar with the island, it was a horrifying sight, with some sharing their thoughts online.
One woman said: “That would have me climbing out onto the roof!”
Another said: “I enjoy solitude but I wouldn’t live there if they paid me a million quid a day.”
A man insisted he’d have a boat on standby or “sleep in inflatable armbands” if he lived there.
Ynys Gorad Goch is the best preserved of the 20 fish traps built in the Menai Strait. Designs differed but all were ingenious, leaving an industrial legacy that’s hugely significant but largely forgotten.
The stone weirs of Ynys Gorad Goch were built, complete with a fish-smoking chamber, in 1824.
Extending out from the island like embracing arms, each weir faces in opposing directions so that fish could be caught whichever way the tide was flowing. It was in continuous use until 1959.
In its heyday, the weirs corralled vast quantities of herring and other fish. At least one human too: In July 1937, teacher Margaret Phillips, 25, went swimming in one of the weirs and was sucked into a gully hole by a strong ebb current. It is thought she failed to hear shouted warnings because she was wearing a bathing cap.
When fishing ended, it became a get-away-from-it-all home, accessed only by boat. Custodians included acclaimed portrait artist Ishbel McWhirter.
In the mid-1990s, the island’s properties and facilities were modernised for the Wirral and West Cheshire Expedition Society.
Following a spell as a holiday let, when it was billed as a “fantasy island”, it’s now thought to be back in private ownership. At low tide, both weirs are still visible, as is a 20-metre causeway that links the two properties.
At high tide, the island is divided by water.
This week’s tides were higher than average but not spectacular. When Susan Hughes’ photo (top) was taken, on Monday morning, November 13, levels were close to peaking, the five-knot tide having reversed to flow back towards Caernarfon.
