Explore and Tour
Maritime Island Tour
On Anglesey anything goes – as long as it’s nautical. And with 125 miles of coastline it’s hardly surprising. Start your journey of maritime discovery at Lord Horatio Nelson’s Monument on the banks of the Menai Strait. Then view the relics from Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory at the Sail Loft Museum, Amlwch.
Head to Moelfre to hear about the history of Moelfre Lifeboat – awarded no less than 37 RNLI medals. And you can visit the memorial to Coxwain Richard ‘Dic’ Evans, as well as the permanent exhibition at Moelfre’s Seawatch Centre – one of Anglesey’s most visited sites. Navigate all 400 steps to the South Stack Lighthouse, Holyhead – shining its lights since 1809. The surrounding area is an RSPB Nature Reserve and you can get a good look at the Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills from Ellin’s Tower.
Test your sea legs on a boat trip to Puffin Island, or hop aboard The Balmoral at Menai Bridge for a trip to the Isle of Man. Landlubbers take heart, you don’t need to climb on board to enjoy Anglesey’s beautiful coastline – 95% of the Anglesey Coastal Path is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Anglesey Coastal Path
The Scenic Route
Our scenic routes are easy to find. And you don’t have to go off-road to discover our landscapes. Take the A5 to the Dee Valley and the little town of Llangollen, host of the International Musical Eisteddfod. World-class artists have performed here every summer since 1947, including the late great Luciano Pavarotti – appearing at Llangollen not once but twice.
Head inland to the resort village of Betws-y-Coed. It’s famous for its walks – with more than 20,000 acres at Gwydir Forest, easy riverside trails and gentle strolls around the irresistible gift shops.
The Nant Ffrancon Pass is the gateway into Snowdonia – made famous by the book ‘I Bought a Mountain’ by Thomas Firbank. And you can drop in at the Pen y Gwryd Hotel – where Sir Edmund Hilary and his team stayed while training before tackling Everest in 1953. Head down to the village of Beddgelert – winner of Wales and Britain in Bloom Competitions and location for the 1958 film ‘Inn of the Sixth Happiness’ starring Ingrid Bergman. Stretch your legs on a trail to discover the legend of Prince Llewelyn and his dog Gelert. Or tread a longer path along the River Glaslyn – right at the very heart of Snowdonia. Down on Snowdonia’s coast discover the Italian village and gardens at Portmeirion designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, the famous setting for classic 60s TV series ‘The Prisoner’.
Llangollen
Taste the difference
Our home grown food is every bit as unique as our landscape,and sampling our produce gives you a real taste of North Wales. Best of all, local food hasn’t travelled too far, so it’s better for the environment. Good excuse for treating yourself, then. Groups are welcome by arrangement at many of our regional food producers. Places like Lord Newborough’s Rhug Estate – one of the largest organic farms in Wales. There’s no harm in indulging at Rhug’s on-site shop – voted among ‘The top 50 Best Food Shops in The UK’ by The Independent.
Customers literally flock to Swan’s Farm Shop near Mold. And Gail Swan was recently voted NFU Cymru/Natwest Wales Woman Farmer of the Year. “There aren’t many shops like ours,” says Gail, “if we run out of vegetables we can say to the customer that we’ll go out and pick some more for them."
When Gareth and Falmai Roberts started producing yoghurt at Llaeth y Llan in 1980, the yoghurt was cultured in the farmhouse airing cupboard. These days, production is on a grander scale and their 20 varieties include cointreau and whisky flavour. You can forget any notions you had about losing a few pounds walking around Foel Farm, because the owners went and opened Anglesey Chocolate Farm on-site. Worse still, you get to watch the chocolatier work his magic, so resistance is impossible. Better to just give in to the handmade continentals, pralines and fondants.
Foel Farm
Art trail
Our landscapes are nothing short of inspirational. Which would explain why they’ve inspired many famous landscape artists. Artists like Richard Wilson ‘the father of British landscape painting’ who was a major influence on other painters – Turner and Constable included. Today in North Wales you can see exhibitions at places like the Royal Cambrian Academy,Conwy. And Oriel Ynys Môn on Anglesey, which houses permanent exhibitions of the quintessentially Welsh work of the late Sir Kyffin Williams, as well as collections by renowned wildlife illustrator Charles Tunnicliffe.
Head for the Llyn Peninsula to discover Plas Glyn y Weddw – one of the oldest public art galleries in Wales housed in a Victorian Gothic Mansion, with knockout views of the National Trust-owned beach at Llanbedrog. We’ve large galleries, too,like Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno - due to re-open early 2009 after major refurbishment. Or the National Portrait Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts collections at Bodelwyddan Castle. And don’t miss the Helfa Gelf Open Studios programme. It runs from September to October and includes more than 60 artists and craft makers from all over Conwy and Denbighshire. See first hand the work of photographers, painters, potters, sculptors, basket-makers, wood-carvers, illustrators and people who work with glass, textiles, jewellery and printing.
Oriel Mostyn
