Mynydd Bodafon

Mynydd Bodafon is a group of low peaks on Anglesey’s north-east edge, its highest point marked by Yr Arwydd. It stands about four kilometres west of the coastal town of Moelfre and a little over a kilometre south-west of the small hamlet of Brynrefail. The name Bodafon probably combines the Welsh word for dwelling with a form of the personal name Eddan. A spring-fed lake called Gors Fawr lies on the mountain and still holds pike, roach and rudd. The mountain carries an Iron Age settlement named Cytiau’r Gwyddelod, known locally as the Irishmen’s huts. Heathland here supports adders, stonechats and peregrines, while cuckoos are celebrated in an old local song. Herons, coots and ducks frequent the lake, and a rare pillwort grows in its shallows. Druids once regarded the place as spiritually significant. Visitors walk through heather and gorse to reach the lake and the Iron Age remains. The slopes also offer views across Anglesey’s coast. Heath fires sometimes reshape the landscape, encouraging bracken where rabbits no longer graze.