Where is the Isle of Anglesey?
The isle of Anglesey is located along the north-western coastline of Wales and is the largest island in the country. Anglesey is a firm weekend and summer getaway favourite amongst locals. If you’re looking for peace and tranquility then this will be your dream destination as an oasis of serenity. It’s an hour drive from Snowdonia National Park and under 5 hours from Cardiff.
How to get there?
The island is easily accessible by car, train and bus. If you are coming from further afield you can fly onto the island to Anglesey Airport (VLY). The Menai Strait separates the island from mainland Wales and is connected by two iconic bridges, firstly the Britannia Bridge (Pont Britannia in Welsh) survived a fire in 1970 and is a grade II listed structure and the Menai suspension bridge which was the World's first iron suspension bridge designed by Thomas Telford. If you are arriving by boat then you will most likely arrive to Holyhead which is the largest town on the island located in the North of Anglesey on Holy Island which you can catch a ferry to Dublin, Ireland.
What is Anglesey known for?
The county became the first county in the UK to be awarded as a Plastic Free Community by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) in 2019. There are plans to repurpose a former Aluminium works into a renewable energy site on the island. A conscious effort is being made on the island to protect the natural beauty of the landscape which has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The island is a great place to spot an abundance of wildlife including red squirrels, puffins and dolphins. If you’re on the lookout for puffins, then you can catch a boat to Puffin Island from Beaumaris during nesting season (April - July) and you can observe these birds with their distinctive, colourful beaks. A claim to fame in more recent years is that the Royals, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lived in Anglesey on the Bodorgan Estate whilst the Duke trained for the RAF.
How to travel responsibly in Anglesey?
When visiting places such as Anglesey, we should all do our part to protect it and leave it better than we found it. Take two minutes to do a beach litter clean up, use a reusable water bottle to cut the use of single plastic and waste produced which will all help to protect the natural beauty of the island. Whilst we visited Wales and at the time of writing this article, Covid rules in Wales differed to those in England. Make sure that you check the current rules before travelling to Wales.
Weekend Itinerary
Friday
Take a stroll along the Belgian Promenade and walk along the Menai Strait, an easy walk full of picturesque scenes of the Menai suspension bridge. The promenade was built by Belgian war refugees as a thank you for the locals hospitality during the First World War. There is also a viewpoint of the Menai Bridge and Britannia Bridge just west of Menai Bridge on the A5. If you look out into the estuary there is a small island called ‘Ynys Gorad Goch’ which was built in the 1820’s to catch fish during high tide and once low tide came they would capture the fish.
Head north to Holy Island with your destination set to South Stack Lighthouse for a wander around the winding steps to the lighthouse. The setting of the lighthouse gives the impression you are looking out at the edge of the world. It was automated in 1983 after being run by many keepers who had to maintain it all by hand. If you plan to visit inside the lighthouse it closes at 5pm but don’t worry if you arrive later as you can wander along the coastline for breathtaking views of the lighthouse and makes a wonderful backdrop for sunset. Located nearby is Elin's Tower, the RSPB's visitor's centre for their reserve, where you can learn more about the birds nesting on the cliffs and throughout the area.
Saturday
Anglesey is home to white sandy beaches dotted around the coastline perfect for swimming, sunbathing, kayaking and paddle boarding. Spend the morning at Porth Dafarch, a popular spot for kayaking and paddle boarding as there are a number of coves and caves to explore not far from where you will set off from on the beach. Navigate to small sandy beaches nearby which are not accessible by car. Parking is free along the road and there are public toilets.
Our next stop is only a 30 minute drive down the road to the beautiful Aberffraw Bay also known as Traeth Mawr. This long, sandy beach is surrounded endless sand dunes which are an example of some of the best on the island, the bay has been designated as a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The beach is known for having great water quality which makes it the perfect spot for a swim and has won the Green Coast Award and Marine Conservation Society Recommendation. There are no toilet facilities on the beach which makes this beach more remote and you’ll be guaranteed to find a nice quiet spot. Access to the beach is by foot along the bank of the River Ffraw from the car park which is free to park in. Find a sheltered place on the beach and enjoy a barbecue, whilst watching kites flying high above. Please remember to leave the place better than you found it and adhere to the Countryside Code when lighting fires.
Sunday
This is guaranteed to be somewhere you won’t forget and have saved the best till last. There are very few places where you can have trees, mountains and beaches all in one location, well Newborough beach has them all. If that isn’t enough, it also has it’s very own island and lighthouse. The fresh smell of pine fills the air as you drive through the forest towards the beach and there are numerous paths you can explore, whether you want to run, walk or cycle, trails are well marked and easy to find. Lines of dense trees border the beach and undulating sand dunes provide shelter from oncoming winds. Newborough Warren is a large dune system home to Welsh mountain ponies, sheep and hardy cattle which keep the vegetation under control.
Llanddwyn Beach is a blue flag beach and the small island is called Llanddywn and was formed by small volcanic eruptions. Follow the path around the island in a loop and along the way you will be spoilt with small secluded beaches. The white chalky paths are made from crushed sea shells and give the island a fairy tale feel and eventually you will reach a small harbour with some cottages. If you looking for a photographic scene then walk to Goleudy Twr Mawr lighthouse, a picture perfect scene popular with photographers. Enjoy the sunset here and on a clear day you will see the peaks from Snowdonia across the water. There are toilets at the Forestry Commission car park at Newborough Beach. If you’re vehicle is over 2.1m there is a height barrier at the entrance to the car park that is not open until 9am, if you are under that height you can enter at 8am. We would recommend that you spend the day at Newborough, there is so much to see and do and a photographers dream.
