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Anglesey & the North Coast
This compact region can be boiled down to two essential things: castles and coast. Yes, there are look-at-me castles all over Wales, but few attract more admiring stares than the glamorous trio of Caernarfon, Conwy and Beaumaris, which is why they're recognised as World Heritage Sites today. As for the coast, there's a reason that Llandudno has been crowned 'the Queen of Welsh Resorts'. Its genteel appeal stands in stark contrast to the altogether more wild edges of the Isle of Anglesey, where the echoes of the ancients can be heard in the waves that batter South Stack and the breezes that eddy around clifftop barrows.
Beyond the sands and stones, this part of Wales offers rich opportunity for surfing, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, kitesurfing, powerboating, paddleboarding, walking and birdwatching. You certainly won't be bored.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Anglesey & the North Coast.
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Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris is the last and most technically perfect of the ring of great castles built by Edward I of England to consolidate his Welsh conquests. Started in 1295, but never completed as fully designed, it enjoys World Heritage status. With its pleasing symmetry, water-filled moat, succession of four concentric 'walls within walls' and stout towers and gatehouse, it’s what every sandcastle maker unknowingly aspires to. The overall effect may seem more fairy tale than horror story, but the massive gates with their murder holes (used to pour boiling oil on invaders) hint at its dark past. The walk along the top of part of the inner wall gives super views of the castle layout and the breathtaking scenery that surrounds it. Look out for the old privvies (drop toilets, marginally less unpleasant than the murder holes for those walking below) and the arrow slits in the wall for picking off unwelcome visitors.
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Great Orme Bronze Age Mines
Sitting unobtrusively near the top of the Great Orme is the largest prehistoric mine ever discovered. Nearly paved over for a car park, this site of tremendous historical importance has been developed as a must-see attraction, with a visitor centre and the chance to explore portions of the 5 miles of tunnels dug over centuries in search of copper. What is truly astounding is that 4000 years ago the tools used to excavate this maze were just stones and bones. A 45-minute self-guided tour explains how the ancients turned rock into copper at the smelting site and then heads underground for about 200m into 3500-year-old tunnels. The site, whose discovery moved Britain's metallurgic history back a mind-boggling 2000 years, was worked again from the 17th to 19th centuries. Last entry is 4.30pm.
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Great Orme
From sea level it's difficult to gauge the sheer scale of the limestone chunk known as the Great Orme (Y Gogarth), yet it's 2 miles in circumference and 207m in height. Named after a Norse word for 'worm' or 'sea serpent', this gentle giant looms benevolently over Llandudno. Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the headland is home to a cornucopia of flowers, endemic butterflies and sea birds, and a herd of around 150 wild Kashmir mountain goats. Three waymarked trails (of which the Haulfre Gardens Trail is the easiest to negotiate) lead to the summit; at various points you can find a neolithic burial chamber, a Bronze Age mine, the remains of an Iron Age fort, and an ancient church dedicated to Llandudno's namesake, St Tudno. At the summit there's a cafe, a bar, a gift shop, minigolf and other amusements, and the Great Orme Country Park Visitor Centre, which has lots of fascinating displays, including a 15-minute video. Views – across the Irish Sea and its fertile wind farms in one direction, overlooking Llandudno towards Snowdonia in the other – are stunning.
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South Stack Cliffs RSPB Reserve
Two miles west of Holyhead, the sea vents its fury against the vertiginous South Stack Cliffs, an important Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reserve where up to 9000 seabirds nest. Between May and June guillemots, razorbills and 15 loved-up puffin couples congregate here, while choughs, fulmars, peregrine falcons and numerous other species may be spotted throughout the year. You can get information, hire binoculars, and pre-book guided walks at the visitor centre. A steep, serpentine flight of steps leads down to the suspension bridge that crosses to the South Stack Lighthouse for tremendous cliff views. Numerous paths lead into the bracken-covered, hilly interior, climbing 219m Holyhead Mountain (Mynydd Twr) and skirting Neolithic stone circles. For a sheltered view, head to Twr Ellin (Ellin's Tower; April to September), a birdwatcher magnet equipped with binoculars, telescopes and a TV with a live feed from cameras on the cliffs. Caer y Twr, one of Wales' most impressive Iron Age sites (open 10am to 4pm daily, admission free), is found at the blustery summit of Holyhead Mountain, but if you're not up for a 45-minute hike, there are also remains of Neolithic round houses a short stroll along a path that's opposite the car park.
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Plas Newydd
Plas Newydd (New House) was the grand manor of the marquesses of Anglesey. Surrounded by tranquil gardens and pastures, with fine prospects across the Menai Strait to Snowdonia, the building has parts dating from the early 15th century, but most of today's Gothic masterpiece took shape in the 18th century. Inside, the walls are hung with gilt-framed portraits of worthy ancestors of the Paget family (William Paget was secretary of state to Henry VIII), who owned the house until 1976. A highlight is a giant painting by Rex Whistler filling an entire wall of the dining room – the painting magically changes perspective as you walk around the room. A tearoom, a cafe, an adventure playground and a luxuriant rhododendron garden punctuate the grounds. The house is 2 miles southwest of Llanfair PG, along the A4080.
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Barclodiad y Gawres Burial Mound
Squatting on a headland above gorgeous Trecastle Bay, 2 miles south of the village, Barclodiad y Gawres (the Giantess' Apronful) is the largest neolithic tomb in Wales. When it was excavated in the 1950s, archaeologists were excited to find five standing stones inside, decorated in spirals and zigzags similar to those found in Ireland's Boyne Valley, along with the cremated remains of two men. Due to problems with vandalism, the entrance to the mound is now blocked by an iron gate, but you can still peer into the murky space. If you're keen to get inside, call into Wayside Stores in Llanfaelog (1 mile up the road) to make an appointment between noon and 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, and the staff will send someone down to open up.
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Anglesey Sea Zoo
This excellent aquarium introduces you to the denizens of the local waters: from lobster and cuckoo wrasse to tiny brine shrimp and Picasso-painting-like flatfish. Designers have gone to great pains to imitate different environments, such as quayside and shipwrecks; tidal waves crash into the glass tank that simulates life in a tidal pool. A crowning touch is a life-sized model of a basking shark – the second-largest fish in the world. Conger eel or shark feedings are held daily. There are plenty of less educational distractions too – a bouncy 'octocastle', playground, shop and cafe. Head south along the A4080 from Llanfair PG towards Brynsiencyn and follow the signs for Anglesey Sea Zoo.
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South Stack Lighthouse
The rocky islet of South Stack (Ynys Lawd) has a gloriously end-of-the-earth feel, with waves crashing around the base of the cliffs and guillemots and razorbills nesting overhead. The trail down to the rickety old bridge anchoring it to Holy Island is not for the faint-hearted, with 400 slippery steps and the promise of a steep return climb. Admission includes a tour of the 28m-high lighthouse, built in 1809, reputedly haunted and still operating. Last tickets are sold at 3.30pm. The last lighthouse-keeper departed in 1984, when operation became fully automated. It's now controlled from a remote planning centre in Harwich, Essex. South Stack is 3 miles west of Holyhead along narrow South Stack Rd. Otherwise, head to Trearddur Bay and follow the coastal road.
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Oriel Ynys Môn
The linchpin of Anglesey's visual-arts scene, the 'Anglesey Gallery' features temporary art exhibitions; a History Gallery exploring the island's past and role in the Roman invasion; licensed cafe Blas Mwy; and children's activity area the Discovery Den. But the main draw is the Oriel Kyffin Williams : exhibits change regularly but always feature some of the gallery's 400-plus works by Sir John 'Kyffin' Williams, a Llangefni boy and prolific artist whose portraits and landscapes provide a unique window into Welsh culture.