Anglesey Island

Website: https://www.visitanglesey.co.uk

Anglesey (Ynys Môn) is an island off the northwest coast of Wales, separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait. It is the largest Welsh island and combines coastal lowlands, beaches and inland agricultural areas with a network of small towns and villages.

Visitors come for seaside resorts, coastal walks and a concentration of historic sites - from Neolithic tombs such as Bryn Celli Ddu to medieval and early modern fortifications like Beaumaris Castle. The island also provides ferry connections to Ireland from Holyhead.

Historically the island was an important center in prehistory and early medieval Wales; it later became integrated into the English and then British administrative systems. The Menai Suspension Bridge, completed in 1826, was a key 19th-century transport link that opened the island to greater commerce and travel.

Located off the coast of northwest Wales, Anglesey lies within sight of the mainland across the Menai Strait and is accessible by road and rail bridges that link it to the town of Bangor and the Welsh road network.

• Bridge connections: Connected to mainland Wales by the Menai Suspension Bridge (opened 1826) and the later Britannia Bridge, providing road and rail access.
• Ferry links: Hosts the principal port for ferries to Ireland, making it an important transport hub for cross-channel travel and freight.

What to See#

• Beaumaris Castle: A medieval concentric castle built for Edward I’s campaigns in Wales, dating from the late 13th century and known for its unfinished concentric defenses.
• Holyhead Port: The island’s main ferry port connecting Wales with Ireland, serving freight and passenger routes and providing the primary transport link for longer-distance travel.
• Menai Strait: A narrow stretch of tidal water separating the island from mainland Anglesey, spanned by historic bridges and offering scenic views of the strait.
• Menai Suspension Bridge: A 19th-century suspension bridge completed in 1826 that links the island to the mainland and was an early engineering landmark in Britain.
• Bryn Celli Ddu: A small prehistoric passage tomb that is one of several Neolithic sites on the island, representing the island’s ancient ritual landscape.

Anglesey is reached by road via the A55 toward Holyhead; the A5 and A483 also approach from North Wales. Holyhead has a ferry port with sailings to Dublin; the island is served by trains on the North Wales Coast Line with stops at Holyhead and Bangor (on the mainland), connected by the Britannia Bridge.

• Take Anglesey's coastal path in stages-the 200 km path encircles the island and reveals small beaches and hidden holy wells.
• Visit Beaumaris Castle (late afternoon) when the low sun slants across the masonry-its concentric design is unusual among Edwardian fortifications.
• If using public transport, plan around the Arriva North Wales buses; some rural stops are infrequent on Sundays.