IT MAY only be a tiny island but Anglesey claims to be the Welsh capital of romance. Although it does not have the kudos of Paris, Venice or Milan, it is still a popular venue for courting couples on Valentine's Day. Instead of flocks of tourists and heaving streets, the island has its own beauty. Back in the 1950s and '60s Anglesey was a popular holiday area for honeymooners and courting couples. The latest marketing campaign by the Anglesey Tourism Association seeks to recreate that reputation with its "Môn Amour" catchphrase. The association's campaign aims to raise the profile of Anglesey, attract additional off-season visitors, help increase revenue for small businesses on the island and encourage innovative marketing in the tourism sector The theme Ynys Môn Amour, Anglesey Island of Romance, has been chosen because Anglesey is the home of Santes Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers. Anglesey may struggle to compete with the delights warmer islands such as Ibiza may offer but watching the sun set from a beautiful sandy beach or walking hand-in-hand through a forest populated by red squirrels may still be the height of romance for some. Broadcaster Hywel Gwynfryn, who grew up in Llangefni, recalls walking with his first girlfriend to Pwllfanogl, the idyllic spot by the Menai Strait where Sir Kyffin Williams - one of many painters on Anglesey - now lives. As a schoolboy, Hywel penned seductive verses in Welsh to the girls he fancied. That was appropriate because Anglesey, according to literary historian Professor Bobi Jones, is the birthplace of "canu serch" - the ancient tradition of romantic verse. No outsiders would seek romance in the workaday towns of Llangefni or Holyhead but there are plenty of charming and secluded spots on the island where whispered sweet nothings wouldn't have to compete with traffic noise. Chief among them is Ynys Llanddwyn, where Santes Dwynwen took refuge after being unhappy in love. For centuries single people have travelled to Dwynwen's hermitage to pray for true love. Today it's a fair walk from the nearest car-park and you have to wait for low tide to get across. Mr Gwynfryn has no doubts about the island's romantic potency. "Those of us who have been lucky enough to find true love should make pilgrimages to thank Santes Dwynwen," he says. The Anglesey Tourist Association can be contacted on 01970 636407 or by visiting www.angleseyromance.com | 
Article
