A lifetime of Islands: Island 64

I have to admit that I thought Anglesey was going to be a bit boring, as my only experience of it was crossing it on the A55 from Holyhead on the way back from Ireland in 2004. However I came back in June 2011 and spent 3 days there and loved it. I returned again for another 3 days in June 2014.

Anglesey is linked to mainland Wales by 2 bridges - Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge and Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge, which carries the railway as well as a road. Britannia Bridge was originally a railway bridge built by Robert Stephenson in 1850 but it was rebuilt following a serious fire in 1970 and now carries a road with the railway on a separate track underneath it. It re-opened in 1980.

Anglesey has 125 miles of coastline. There are excellent beaches at Benllech, Cemaes, Red Wharf Bay and Newborough. Red squirrels can be seen in Newborough Forest in the SW of the island and at Mynydd Llwydiarth forest near the village of Pentraeth.

There is more than enough to see and do on the island for more than a fortnight’s holiday. There are lots of family friendly tourist attractions like the Sea Zoo, Model Village, Pili Palas (Butterfly Palace), Beaumaris Courthouse and Gaol, Farm Park, Anglesey Heritage Centre etc. I visited Plas Newydd and Beaumaris Castle.

Menai Bridge

This was built by Thomas Telford and opened in 1826

Britannia Bridge

Beaumaris Castle

This was the last of Edward I’s castles in North Wales. It was begun in 1295 and has concentric defences but was never completed. The name Beaumaris comes from the Norman French for Beautiful Marsh.

Plas Newydd

The most memorable thing about Plas Newydd for me was the huge Rex Whistler mural. The grounds are very extensive and include rhododendrons and an arboretum but it was pouring with rain when I visited, so I didn't explore them fully.

Plas Newydd

Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or Llanfair PG Station

This is the world’s longest place name. It means "St Mary’s Church in a hollow of white hazel near to a rapid whirlpool and St Tysilio’s church near the red cave."

Llynnon Mill

The mill was built in 1775-6 and is the only working windmill on Anglesey. The remains of many others can be seen at various locations on the island. It is 4 storeys high and closed down in 1924. It was restored and opened to visitors in 1984.

Watchtower at Amlwch

The port at Amlwch was developed to export the copper ore from Parys Mountain and later as a centre for ship building. There is a Sail Loft Visitor Centre at the port, which also has a café, but it was shut due to staff shortages on the day I visited, which is a shame, as I was in need of a cup of tea and a piece of cake!

Amlwch Harbour

Parys Mountain - copper mine

A very large lode of copper was discovered by local miner Rowland Puw in 1768, although there is evidence in the area for mining as far back as the Bronze Age. The 18^th century mines were both open cast and underground. By the 1780s it was the largest copper mine in Europe but its heyday was over by the 1830s and mining had ceased by 1904 by which time it is estimated that around 3.5 million tons of ore had been dug out, giving around 130 000 tons of copper metal. There have been various explorations in the area since the mid 20^th century but mining has not yet recommenced. Very few plants can grow on the contaminated land left behind but it is visually very striking and not unattractive in a strange way.

Cemaes

This is the most northerly village in Wales and has 2 beaches. The Wylfa Nuclear Power Station is located nearby.

Penmon Priory in the south east of the island was established by St Seiriol in the 6^th century. The priory was attacked by Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries. The present remains date from the 13^th Century. The current parish church was originally the priory church.

Moelfre – the ship Royal Charter on her way home to Liverpool from Australia sank just offshore in October 1859 while sheltering from a storm. 450 people died and only 39 survived. There is a memorial stone on the coast path nearby and a sculpture outside the Seawatch Centre.

Statue of Dic Evans, former lifeboat coxswain at Moelfre

Near Moelfe at Lligwy there is a Neolithic burial chamber, which is located a few hundred metres from the ruins of a 14th Century chapel and the remains of a Romano British settlement, which was occupied in the 4th Century AD. Anglesey has been occupied for at least 10,000 years. There are a number of other Neolithic burial chambers on the island. The best examples are Bryn Celli Ddu near LlanfairPG and Barclodiad y Gawres near Rhosneigr. Celts lived on the island during the Iron Age. The Romans conquered the Celts in 78 AD. After the Romans left the island was part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd for 800 years.