drop to much deeper water (over 20 metres deep), which indicates that Ynys Dulas may have been part of what is, geologically speaking, a recently submerged headland or perhaps a tombolo. On the north side of Traeth Dulas stands Porto Bello, an interesting house built very much in the Mediterranean style. On top of the cliffs just south of Traeth yr Ora, overlooking the Irish Sea, is a concrete observation post left over from World War II. Slightly north of the bay is the village of Llysdulas. It was here that the manor house Llys Dulas (lit. Dulas Manor or Court) was located, and the families who owned the bay lived here. In ancient times this land belonged to the tribe of Llwyd, and passed through the Neave Baronets and Hughes families. Under the ownership of Lord Boston, however, the mansion fell into disuse and no longer exists. Some ruins of the chapel can still be found. Traeth yr Ora and Porto Bello were, according to local history, named after a group of men allegedly shipwrecked in the area around 1750. The men were said to be of Spanish or Portuguese origin, but the precise spelling of these names suggests that they may actually have been Italian. Some local families still claim descent from these men today. Perhaps the oldest known tradition regarding the bay dates from 1134. It is said that Owain Gwynedd, who became king of Gwynedd in 1137, had defeated a combined force of the Erse, Manx, and Norsemen near Llangwyllog in the centre of the island. The Welsh fleet turned on their enemy's ships and are said to have captured every last one of them in and around Dulas Bay. Location The bay is on the Anglesey Coastal Path at and has, with most of the rest of the coast of Anglesey, been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by the UK government. The geological makeup of the area is mostly Devonian Old Red Sandstone, although the north side of Traeth Dulas sees the limestone beds alternating with shale and gritstone. There are unusual levels of zinc and copper in the soil, and a water-table brought in by Afon Goch from the nearby Mynydd Parys (Parys Mountain) mines. However, the level is nowhere near high enough to be of danger to humans or animals. Just two and a half miles from the bay is