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The Witches of Llanddona on the Anglesey Coastal Trail

If you walk along the Anglesey Coastal Path, you will no doubt hear about the astonishing myth of the Llanddona witches.

Llanddona is a small town on the east coast of Anglesey, set in an area of ​​exceptional natural beauty.

There have been many legends throughout the centuries on this mysterious island, but the myth of the Llanddona witches certainly captures the imagination.

Throughout the centuries, people have believed in the amazing power of witches to negatively influence society. So, for example, if a harvest fails or farm animals invariably die, the community will blame the witches.

Surprisingly, it was not until 1736 that Parliament repealed the specific law, which until then had allowed witches to be hanged for such questionable transgressions.

Not surprisingly, there is more than one version of events in legends and tales, and the Llanddona witches are no exception.

The first story tells how during a stormy night, a Spanish ship ran aground on the sandy beach of Llanddona. Despite attempts to hold the ship together, eventually the power of the waves caused the ship to break.

Amid the chaos, the crew struggled to disembark in the sparkling seas, but unfortunately most of them drowned in their efforts to reach land safely.

By dawn, the survivors had reached the top of the cliff, and when they looked towards the beach, they realized that they could never leave, seeing the sunken ship below.

So they decided to make the best of a bad situation and made this land their own. The local people of Llanddona were certainly not happy that a group of shipwrecked survivors decided to camp outside the town.

The myth suggests that the survivors were short, had red hair, and were believed to be from Spain. Despite several attempts by the local population to remove the survivors, they eventually relented and allowed their new guests to stay.

Legend suggests that the survivors had used various circus and magic tricks to confuse the locals.

The villagers of Llanddona began to believe the rumor that the survivors were witches, because they kept to themselves.

One of the survivors, a short woman named Sian Bwt or Short Betty, had two thumbs on her left hand. These were apparently certain signs that the individual was a witch.

The second account tells of how a fisherman was walking along the coast one day and observed an open boat carrying wet and scruffy women who had been washed ashore at Llanddona by the strong tide.

The women looked very sick, and no wonder, if they had been trapped in the sea without food or water for so long. Apparently one of the witches hit the beach with her cane. And surprisingly, a spring of clear water emerged.

After building a shelter out of wood and stones, the witches began begging for food and cursing anyone who refused. When they visited the local markets they did not pay for any good and on one occasion they turned into hares so they would not be caught.

Over the years, the witches continued to scare the people of Llanddona. There was an incident, when the witches were smuggling certain goods to the island. They arrived at the beach at night and then began to carry the merchandise in barrels to the town.

The Llanddona witches were so confident that they even ignored the Customs officials. When challenged, they released hundreds of black flies that flew off and bit villagers and officials.

And so the myth continues. Many believe that the descendants of the witches still live in Llanddona to this day. So if you come to this island, make a special effort to visit the Anglesey Coastal Path around Llanddona.

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