There is no timetabled ferry to Bardsey. There is a twelve-seat catamaran that leaves a cove near Aberdaron on good-weather days, gives you about four hours on Ynys Enlli and brings you back — booked by phoning the boatman, and paid for in two parts since 2026.
No dated 2026 timetable is published. Operating pattern as described by Mordaith Llŷn and by the Bardsey Island Trust, both read on 24 September 2026. Bardsey Island Boat Trips — F.A.Q. · 2026-09-24
What does it take to reach an island where, in the Middle Ages, three pilgrimages were reckoned to be worth one to Rome? These days, a phone call. Ynys Enlli — Bardsey in English — lies off the end of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, and day visitors reach it on a trip run by Colin Evans's company, Mordaith Llŷn, from the cove at Porth Meudwy near Aberdaron. Pilgrims set out from the same cove for centuries; the National Trust, which owns it, still describes it as the starting point for Enlli.
The boat is a fast catamaran carrying twelve people, launched and recovered on specialised gear so that passengers climb aboard from dry land rather than from a dinghy. The crossing takes around twenty to thirty minutes each way depending on tide and sea, and the standard trip leaves you about four hours ashore — long enough to climb Mynydd Enlli, at 167 metres, look in on the Abbey ruins and the Bird Observatory, and eat at Tŷ Pellaf.
Searches for a Bardsey ferry are really looking for this boat. It does not keep a printed timetable, it does not run in bad weather, and it is not the only thing you pay for: since 2026 the Bardsey Island Trust charges its landing fee separately, on arrival. Even Shetland's council boat to Fair Isle, far more remote, publishes its sailing days.
Since 2026 a day on Enlli is paid for twice. The landing fee, which used to be folded into the boat fare, now goes straight to the Bardsey Island Trust when you step off at the Cafn: £7.50 for an adult, nothing for anyone under 18, and nothing for Trust members.
The boat fare is the part this page cannot settle. The operator's home page shows a box headed Costs for 2026 with £50 per adult and £25 per child, and a booking panel on the same page with £32.50 per adult and £20 per child under 16; its FAQ repeats the £50 and £25 under the heading Costs for 2017. The Trust simply refers visitors to the operator. Ask for the fare when you phone to book.
| Adult | £ 7.50 |
| Under 18 | Free |
Landing fee for 2026, as published by the Bardsey Island Trust on 24 September 2026 Bardsey Island Trust — Day Trips · 2026-09-24
From the cove to the Cafn is about 6.6 km in a straight line, south-west from the Llŷn shore; at its closest, the Trust says, the island lies 3 km off the tip of the peninsula. The water in between is why the island is known for its tides and why every trip is weather-dependent. The boatman likes to slow down for seabirds, seals and porpoises, which turns a direct crossing of about twelve minutes into half an hour.
A small National Trust cove west of Aberdaron, still used by crab and lobster boats. Park at the top of the track — the National Trust lists the parking as free — and allow 10 to 15 minutes to walk down; the boatman warns that most sat-navs drive straight past the LL53 8DA turning. There is no toilet at the cove, so use the ones in Aberdaron first. Without a car, the National Trust suggests bus 8B from Pwllheli to Ffynnon Saint and then a 30-minute walk.
The boat comes into the Cafn, the island's narrow landing channel, where a member of the Trust's staff meets each arrival, takes the landing fee by card or cash and hands over a map. The café at Tŷ Pellaf is five to ten minutes' walk; the only public toilet, a compost toilet in Plas yard, is ten to fifteen.
Bookings go through Colin Evans on 07971 769 895: leave a message with your number and he usually rings back the same evening. The Trust says WhatsApp works too. People who turn up at the cove without booking sometimes find a spare seat, but the boat carries only twelve.
Each trip on the operator's site shows green for going, amber for a weather concern and red for cancelled. Amber means look again later, not set off.
The walk from the car park down to Porth Meudwy takes 10 to 15 minutes, and Enlli has rough tracks and field paths rather than paved roads. If you have restricted mobility, tell the boatman when booking; boarding is up six steps onto the deck once the boat has been lifted from the water.
The Trust does not allow visitors' dogs, because of ground-nesting birds, the grey seal colony and the working farm; guide dogs are the exception. Drones are banned. Check your bags for stowaway rodents before boarding, because rats would threaten the island's ground-nesting birds.
The café at Tŷ Pellaf serves drinks, cakes and light lunches on the day, but hot meals, including Enlli lobster, have to be ordered at least a day in advance.
The Trust lets its island houses Saturday to Saturday from April to October, and in 2026 trialled bunkhouse beds in Tŷ Nesaf from £20 a night. Week-long visitors cross at times set by wind and tide.
The island has belonged to the Bardsey Island Trust since 1979, when a campaign launched the year before, backed by Welsh academics, public figures and the Church in Wales, bought it from Lord Cowdray. The Trust is a registered charity that farms the land, protects the wildlife and buildings and encourages visits as a place of both natural beauty and pilgrimage. It is also the reason for the rules visitors notice: no dogs, no drones, a landing fee, and staff waiting at the Cafn. Scotland has a parallel of sorts in Eigg, owned by its community, though the boats there are CalMac's rather than a local skipper's.
Both of the island's main websites are written in Welsh and English, and the places you will be told to look for have Welsh names: Enlli itself, the Cafn, Tŷ Pellaf, Mynydd Enlli. Read both versions, because occasionally they disagree. The operator's English notes put the extra 12:30 trip in June to August, the Welsh ones in May to July; neither is wrong to ask about when you book.
No. Mordaith Llŷn runs day trips from Porth Meudwy whenever the weather allows and there is demand, and fills its trips in order of booking. The boatman tells you your return time; the operator's website shows whether each trip is going.
The operator's own site gives two answers: £50 per adult and £25 per child in a box headed Costs for 2026, and £32.50 per adult and £20 per child in its booking panel. Confirm when you ring. On top of that, the Bardsey Island Trust charges a landing fee of £7.50 per adult on arrival; under-18s are free.
The boat operator says every good day from March to November, and in winter when required. The Trust's own visitor page says day trips run from April to October. If you are aiming for March or November, check with the boatman first.
Not unless it is a guide dog. The Trust keeps visitors' dogs off Enlli to protect ground-nesting birds, the Atlantic grey seal colony and the island's working farm.
In the National Trust car park at the head of the track to Porth Meudwy, which the Trust lists as free. The walk down to the boat takes 10 to 15 minutes and there is no toilet at the cove, so stop in Aberdaron on the way.
Trips can be cancelled at short notice, although the operator says it tries hard to avoid last-minute cancellations. Check the green, amber and red lights on its website on the morning, and keep your phone on in case the boatman calls.
Yes, in the Trust's houses, let Saturday to Saturday between April and October, with some short breaks. Mid-week arrivals and departures are arranged directly with Colin Evans, and crossings for staying visitors depend on wind and tide.