11 Awesome Things To Do in Anglesey Wales
While this piece of Wales gets skipped over, I think there are some awesome things to do in Anglesey.
Personally, some of my favorite experiences from my time in Wales were on this “barely an island” island.
It has a lovely coastline dotted with seaside hamlets, beaches and bays as well as a lovely pastoral interior dotted with sheep, ruins, and paths made for walking and cycling.
I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised.
So let’s start with the where because I know you may not know where this under visited piece of Wales is.
Where is Anglesey and why is it “barely an island”?
So when you look at this map and see Wales, you can see that Anglesey is the far northwest piece.
At first glance, it looks as though it’s attached to the rest of Wales.
But when you look closely you’ll see that the narrow Menai Strait cuts Anglesey off from the mainland.
So technically it is an island.
It is connected by 2 bridges, one of which we’ll be talking about.
There’s no need for taking a ferry to get to it.
So, while it’s an island, Anglesey is very accessible from mainland Wales.
One thing to note is that the ferry port of Holyhead is located on Anglesey.
This makes Anglesey very important as ferries cross between Ireland and the UK as this is one of the shorter sea routes.
11 Awesome things to do in Anglesey
There are definitely more than 11 amazing things to do in Anglesey.
I was surprised by all that is here.
One thing I’ll note is that Anglesey is quite popular with many English folks who come to the seaside towns on holiday.
You’ll find people from the Liverpool area definitely make the short drive to Anglesey.
Okay.
So let’s get on with the list!
Take a boat trip around Puffin Island with Seacoast Safaris to look for birds (yes puffins!), seals and dolphins
This was actually one of the first things I did when I visited my friend who was living in Menai Bridge.
She said she wanted to take me out on this cruise around Puffin Island and I said, “Sure. That sounds great!”
Seacoast Safaris is located at the Beaumaris Pier so you can do another of my awesome things to do in Anglesey after your cruise around Puffin Island.
This is an amazing boat trip.
They take you out on a small-ish boat (35-45 people) to Puffin Island and cruise you around it.
You’ll see lots of birds — hopefully including puffins — as well as sea lions, dolphins and porpoises if you get lucky.
It’s not a guarantee.
But seeing Anglesey and the mainland of Wales from Menai Strait is also a treat.
There is a Menai Strait tour as well that will take you toward the Menai Bridge (see further down the list).
Or you can do both Puffin Island and the Menai Strait tour.
My advice is not to miss Puffin Island.
While you don’t get to actually visit the island, the cruise around it is well worth the £15.
Stroll through the beautiful seaside town of Beaumaris, tour its castle and have tapas and wine at The Midland Tapas and Wine Bar
So after a cruise you can then visit the Beaumaris Castle which I did not do.
I did walk around it but did not actually take a tour of it.
But from what I hear it’s a fabulous castle to visit.
There are a lot of castles in North Wales!
After your castle visit, stroll around the beautiful, colorful Beaumaris.
It’s not very big but quite charming with its pastel colored buildings and waterfront.
Once you’ve built up a good appetite stop into The Midland Tapas and Wine Bar for some delicious tapas and a glass of tasty wine.
When you’re finished eating and drinking, walk around a bit more, soaking up the views.
Beaumaris is an enchanting town so spending time here is one of the best things to do in Anglesey.
Visit Red Wharf Bay for some bird watching and beachcombing then eat and drink at the Ship Inn
I’m not sure I would have found this destination if my friend hadn’t suggested it.
Walking along the beach at Red Wharf Bay and watching the birds is an awesome thing to do in Anglesey.
I couldn’t believe all the birds that were wading in the shallow water.
I was going crazy with my camera!
Then when you look closer you’ll notice all the sea life on the beach and the shallow pools.
Low tide is the time to explore.
This is a fun place for curious adults and children.
If low tide times out so you can have dinner at the Ship Inn even better.
This pub/restaurant is located right along the water so you can sit outside in good weather or cozy up inside if the weather is decidedly Welsh.
The food is warming and tasty AND they have a fabulous selection of whiskey!
Exploring Red Wharf Bay is one of the best things to do in Anglesey for sure.
Look for sea glass on the small rocky beach at Moelfre
I realize that not everyone is going to be into this 4th amazing experience in Anglesey.
But bear with me.
First of all Moelfre is a lovely little seaside village.
So even if searching for sea glass is not your thing, do stop by as there are some wonderful views out to sea.
However if you want to find some cool sea glass, then spend some time combing through the rocks on the beach.
My friend and I found quite a bit.
I was actually looking for a friend of mine back home but was happy to do so.
It was like being on a treasure hunt.
And, because we were there at sunset, we were rewarded with an eerie scene as the fog built up on the sea.
The image of the sailboat is one of my favorite images from Anglesey.
So for me it was a win-win.
Watch the sun go down at Rhosneigr
One of the most awesome things to do in Anglesey is to watch a sunset.
There are quite a few spots on the western part of the island where this is possible.
My friend wanted to take me to Rhosneigr.
And it was gorgeous — and really special.
Rhosneigr is another of the small seaside villages that attracts folks looking for some beach time.
We walked the beach and watched as the sun began to go down.
The warm light filled the sky and danced on the water and the rocks.
People sat in their beach chairs, taking in the beautiful scene before them.
*Sigh*
One of my absolute favorite memories of Anglesey.
Stop in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and take a picture of the sign
Okay.
So this comes in as a kind of trivial or silly thing to do, but my friend and I stopped here in the town with the longest name in the UK as well as the longest named town in Europe.
While a town in New Zealand has the record for the longest named town in the world, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch comes in 2nd place.
Not too shabby.
There’s not much to do here in the way of sites, but it’s a nice, typical little Welsh town with about 3000 residents that you may want to wander about a bit.
Marvel at the engineering of the Menai Suspension Bridge
It’s hard not to be in awe of the Menai Bridge that crosses over the Menai Strait, connecting Anglesey to the mainland of Wales.
This is definitely one of the most awesome things to do in Anglesey.
There are some views of the bridge from the road between Menai Bridge Town and Beaumaris.
And even from the town of Menai Bridge you’ll find spots to get some great pics of it.
The bridge was built in the early 1800’s and was completed on January 30, 1826.
Menai Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world at the time, so it was considered to be an amazing civil engineering work.
There are 16 massive 579-foot-long chains holding the bridge 100 feet above the sea allowing boats to sail under it.
It really is a marvelous part of Anglesey.
Check out Church Island
Actually this little island makes a nice walk from the town of Menai Bridge.
Walk along Beach Road, passing under Menai Suspension Bridge.
You’ll pick up a nice footpath that takes you along the waters of Menai Strait.
And there you’ll find Church Island.
It’s connected to the mainland by a wee bit of earth so no worries getting to it.
And, true to its name, there is an old church, St Tysilio’s Church, on it.
There is also a cemetery which should not come as a surprise as that’s how things roll in the British Isles.
Where there is a church, there is an adjacent cemetery.
I found the cemetery to be really interesting with all the slate headstones.
North Wales is known for its slate, so this is very common.
There is a really cool old tree too that would have been really spooky if the weather had been overcast and misty instead of blue skies and sunshine.
This is one of those awesome things to do in Anglesey that I probably wouldn’t have found without my friend saying, “I thought I’d take you to Church Island.”
Explore Penmon Priory and Dovecote and St. Seiriol’s Well
Yay!
A 3-fer!
There’s a bit here to explore with the priory, the dovecote and the well.
Some of Penmon is ruins and some is still intact.
It’s thought that this area was once a monastery founded by St Seiriol back in the 6th century.
That’s where the well comes in.
It’s thought the waters of this well have healing properties.
There is an old cross that you’ll find inside the church that dates back to the 10th century.
It’s pretty impressive with its carvings.
The dovecote is one of the more interesting pieces of this site as it is quite large.
While built much later, in the 1600’s, its huge domed roof provided room for up to 1000 nests for pigeons and doves.
It was an important source of meat and eggs.
Inside the vaulted dome is a stone pillar that is 37m high.
This stone pillar would have supported a revolving ladder used to reach the nests lining the walls.
It’s definitely a site worthy of some time.
Plus the grounds are lovely with lots of foliage.
Another awesome thing to do in Anglesey!
Walk out to Penmon Lighthouse (and notice all the sea life around you)
I could have added this onto the above.
However if you aren’t into the historic sites but want more time by the sea, then you might just want to make the drive out to Penmon Point.
Then you can walk out to the lighthouse that you’ll see on your Puffin Island cruise.
The views are fantastic and it’s quite simply a peaceful and beautiful spot.
There is a cafe out at the point as well if you want a bite to eat or a beverage to warm you up.
Take note of all the seaweed around you and all the little pools of sea water with all the sea life in them.
You’ll see a lot of gulls and other birds having a bite to eat!
One thing that I love about a place like this is how the smell stays with you — the smell of the sea.
*Sigh*
Don’t miss this awesome site in Anglesey.
Wander around the town of Menai Bridge and end with a meal at Dylan’s Menai Bridge with its wonderful waterside location
The town of Menai Bridge is quite small but it’s big enough to have a post office, some good restaurants and choices for places to stay.
Of course, the best thing about Menai Bridge, in my opinion, is the location along the Menai Strait.
It’s such a fabulous location with views to the water then over the mainland of Wales with the mountains of Snowdonia National Park in the distance.
After you’ve wandered through town and down along the water, stop into Dylan’s for some tasty food.
This restaurant is right along the strait so you can get those magnificent views as you eat some delicious food.
Dylan’s has a diverse menu with seafood, steak, pizza, chicken, burgers and vegetarian options.
Definitely something for everyone.
One more awesome thing to do in Anglesey!
There are many more awesome things to do in Anglesey
I cannot believe some of the amazeball things I missed during my time here.
But I also wanted to spend time around Snowdonia and other parts of North Wales and I also just wanted to be with my friend.
As I wrote this post I kept thinking about how I’d love to go back to explore a bit deeper.
Here is a list of all the things I missed, but that you may want to include on your list.
There is a lot to do!!
- Anglesey Coastal Path — a long distance trail at 200km that passes through landscape that includes a mixture of farmland, coastal heath, dunes, salt-marsh, foreshore, cliffs and a few small pockets of woodland.
- Llanddwyn Island — an outcrop (not a true island) extending from the mainland of Anglesey that is simply stunning (I’m sorry I missed this)
- South Stack Lighthouse — you might catch a glimpse of this if you happen to ferry over from Ireland like I did, but it’s worth spending some time out in the Holyhead area to take in this lighthouse and the sea cliffs and the views, of course
- Plas Newydd House and Gardens — a National Trust property that lies along the Menai Strait down the road from Menai Bridge, looks gorgeous
- RSPB Valley Wetlands (between Rhosneigr and Holyhead) — the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has a beautiful spot here for birdwatchers
- Cemlyn North Wales Wildlife Trust Reserve — a nature reserve to the northwest along the coast that looks fab
- Barclodiad y Gawres — a neolithic burial chamber kind of like places like Newgrange or Knowth in Ireland
- Bryn Celli Ddu — another neolithic site that was a henge and is now a burial mound/chamber that lights up on summer solstice
- Beaches and more beaches — there are quite a few beaches — aside from Rhosneigr — such as Lligwy, Llanddona, Llanddwyn, Mawr and so many more
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Please stay up to date using official sources like the WHO and CDC. I do plan to continue to write about incredible destinations and to offer tips on travel to Europe, so that you will find some solace in these posts — so you dream about travel and learn about travel. This way when we can all travel again, you’ll be ready to go! For now, stay home (or close to home) and stay safe!
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What an incredible list. I was hooked on the puffins, then tapas and wine, and it kept getting better. I’ve seen some amazing creations of sea glass artists (I have several in my garden) and hunting for sea glass would be an enjoyable activity while getting some exercise in beautiful surroundings. Thank you for such a comprehensive post.
The sea glass treasure hunt was fun. Anglesey really is special for many reasons!
So many cool things to do on the island of Anglesey, Wales. Would especially like to take that tour to see the puffins! Great travel guide!
It was definitely a cool tour!
I’ve been to Beaumaris Castle! It was one of the many stops on my castle road trip around northern Wales – it’s such a pretty area to drive around.
There are a lot of castles in North Wales.
Anglesey is definitely a beautiful area. I’ve been there a few times but I really need to explore it properly. I definitely need to do the Puffin Island tour, that’s been on my list for a while now.
It’s really a beautiful place.
So much to do on this little Island! I’d love to see the puffins, something we don’t have in CA.
I got lucky to see a couple.