Fishguard fish yard

The wind was bitter cold off the sea today but the extra low tide was my opportunity to get down to see something I've only just found out about in the bay below the town. It's the remains of a mediaeval fish trap, seen best from the air (that's how it was first spotted only a few years ago) but when the tide is right out it is exposed as a low, hook shaped ridge of stones extending like a bent elbow out from the edge of the bay. Its purpose would have been to trap fish on the retreating tide probably with nets or wicker traps.

The south-east fishtrap  is a 'V'-shaped stone-built fishtrap, springing from coastal rocks on its south side. It measures approximately 34m from base to apex, with equally-spaced arms measuring 40m long and up to 9m broad. It is built from large boulders, now partly dispersed with a few smaller stones visible in the matrix. The trap is only exposed at the lowest tides, of 0.5m and under. It is likely that a build-up of sand behind (to the west, beach-side of) the trap may have obscured further parts making it considerably larger. Because of the present sea-level it would be difficult to regularly use and make repairs to this fish trap, and this might indicate a construction date back in the Middle Ages, or earlier.   From the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

The remains of several similar fish traps can be found elsewhere on the coast of Britain and there is actually another on the other side of the bay 
here.

In this image I'm standing below the cliff on the Fishguard side of the bay, looking inland southwest towards the twin town of Goodwick. I've put another shot in my blipfolio here, taken from above that shows the trap in relation to the seaward side.

The name Fishguard comes from the Norse and means fish yard, a place to keep or catch fish. It was so-named by the Vikings who came here to do just that.