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St Dwynwen's Day weather forecast

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Derek Brockway Derek Brockway | 11:50 UK time, Monday, 25 January 2010

Today is which is the Welsh equivalent of St. Valentine's day.

Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers. She lived in the 5th century and fell head over heels in love with a prince called Maelon Dafodrill but her father King Brychan Brycheiniog had other ideas and wanted her to marry another chap.

Dwynwen was so upset that she asked for God's help to make her forget him. Whilst asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who brought a potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice.

God then granted Dwynwen three wishes. Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed; her second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers; and third, that she should never marry. All three were fulfilled and Dwynwen became a nun and devoted the rest of her life to God.

She built a Church on Llanddwyn Island just off the coast of Anglesey and after her death in 465 AD it became a place of a pilgrimage. People would travel for miles to visit a well named after her called Ffynnon Dwynwen to make wishes of their own. It was believed that sacred fish or eels that lived in the well could foretell whether or not a relationship would bring true love and happiness.

The church was later ruined, but a new one was built in the 16th century and the ruins of this can be seen today.

There is a lovely walk from Newborough on Anglesey to Llanddwyn Island which I filmed for Weatherman Walking a couple of years ago.

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The walk is ideal for the whole family and boasts a forest, wonderful beaches and scenery. On a clear day the views towards Snowdonia and the Lleyn Peninsula are breathtaking. The forest at Newborough is full of life and is home to red squirrels, bats and even a raven roost. While the sand dunes are the largest in Wales with a large range of wild flowers.

They were formed in the 13th century when storms buried the area under a blanket of sand. Before crossing over to Llanddwyn Island don't forget to check the tides and look out for the volcanic rocks sticking out of the sand. They were created when hot blobs of lava cooled rapidly as they were forced out of underwater volcanoes creating bumpy pillow-like shapes.

Llanddwyn Island is a special place with beautiful coves and beaches ideal for swimming so don't forget to pack your swimming trunks or bikini!

The Isle of Anglesey Walking Festival in June is a good way of discovering this superb walk and others along the coastal footpath.

If you fancy a romantic stroll with your loved one on this special day then wrap-up warmly and have a cwtch!

It's going to stay dry on Anglesey today but feeling chilly with temperatures peaking around five Celsius.

Tonight some frost is likely with temperatures dropping to around minus two Celsius.

Tomorrow generally dry and cold across Wales with light winds.

Wednesday will turn slightly milder and breezy with a little rain spreading south during the afternoon. The rest of the week turns colder again with Arctic winds bringing a few wintry showers. While on Friday a trough of low pressure may bring a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. At this stage it looks like the cold snap will continue over the coming weekend.

Happy St. Dwynwen's Day!

Derek

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