The Menai Suspension Bridge, the 1826 masterpiece of Thomas Telford, the world’s first major suspension bridge, and the connection between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales, is the threshold of a different country. The island, Ynys Môn in Welsh, the “Mother of Wales,” the breadbasket of the medieval Welsh kingdoms, is a landscape of the flat, the green, the coastal, and the ancient: the beaches (the 125 miles of the coastline, the sandy coves of the Rhosneigr, the Trearddur Bay, and the dunes of the Aberffraw, the royal court of the medieval Welsh kings, now a beach), the standing stones (the Bryn Celli Ddu, the 5,000-year-old passage tomb, the mound, the carvings, and the best Neolithic monument in Wales), and the village with the longest name in Europe (the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, the 58-letter name, the railway station sign, and the photograph that everyone takes. The name means “St Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red cave,” and the pronunciation is not attempted here). Here is your guide to Anglesey.

Anglesey, Never Bored

• The beaches, the Trearddur Bay and the Rhosneigr: Trearddur Bay: the most beautiful beach on Anglesey, the blue-flag sand, the turquoise water (the colour of the Caribbean on a sunny day, the temperature of the Irish Sea, the essential Anglesey paradox), and the rock pools at low tide. The swimming is the best on the island (the sheltered bay, the gentle waves, and the safe swimming for the families), and the café, the Sea Shanty (the coffee, the cake, and the view of the beach. ~£5 for the coffee and the cake), is the essential post-swim stop. Rhosneigr: the surfing beach (the Atlantic swells, the best waves in North Wales, and the surf school, the Funsport, the lessons, and the best introduction to the Welsh surfing. ~£35 for the 2-hour lesson), and the village (the cafés, the bars, and the best beach atmosphere on Anglesey). The essential coastal walk: the Anglesey Coastal Path (the 130 miles of the island’s coastline, the section from the Trearddur Bay to the South Stack, the 8 miles, the lighthouse, the cliffs, and the birds, the puffins, the guillemots, and the razorbills, the best seabird colony in North Wales. The South Stack Lighthouse, ~£7, and the 400 steps down the cliff, the most dramatic lighthouse in Wales). More UK →
• The history, the standing stones and the copper mountain: The Bryn Celli Ddu: the Neolithic passage tomb, the mound, the stone carvings, and the alignment with the midsummer sunrise (the light enters the passage on the longest day of the year, and the sense of the 5,000-year-old ritual is the most powerful experience on Anglesey). Free, and the walk from the car park (the 500 metres, the fields, and the sense of approaching the ancient) is the essential introduction. The Beaumaris Castle: the last and the most beautiful of the castles of Edward I (“the Perfect Castle,” the concentric design, the moat, and the symmetry that was never completed, the castle was abandoned in the 1330s, and the walls rise to half their intended height. ~£8). The Parys Mountain: the copper mine, the largest in the world in the 1780s, and the landscape, the red, the yellow, and the purple of the mineral stains, the lunar landscape of the industrial revolution, and the most surprising walk on Anglesey. Free, and the walk around the open-cast pit, the 1 hour, the colours, and the sense of the industrial history of the island
• The food, the sea salt and the lobster: The Halen Môn: the Anglesey Sea Salt, the PDO-protected salt (the designation of origin, the same status as the Champagne and the Parma ham), the family-run business on the Menai Strait, the tour (~£10, the tasting, and the best souvenir in Wales), and the salt, the flakes, the crystals, and the taste of the sea that has made the Halen Môn the essential Welsh ingredient. The lobster: the Menai Strait lobsters, the pots, the boats, and the best seafood in North Wales. The essential restaurant: the Oyster Catcher in Rhosneigr (the lobster, the chips, and the view of the beach. ~£35 for the lobster)