Six beauty spots to visit on Ynys Môn/ the island of Anglesey
We started making sea salt because we love Ynys Môn, and wanted to find a way to make a living here. We feel incredibly lucky to call the island, and this particular Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, our home.
There is an abundance of beauty to be discovered, but here are six spots for starters. From tiny islands to hidden coves, ancient churches to old copper mines, these are a handful of our favourites.
We can’t wait to welcome you.
1. Mynydd Parys/ Parys Mountain
Safe to say, there is nowhere quite like Parys mountain. Once the biggest copper mine in the world, this extraordinary lunar landscape is well worth a visit.
Eerie but incredibly striking, the land is home to plenty of birds, from skylark to chough. Expect a beautiful palette of colours and distant views of Snowdonia.
2. St Cwyfan’s Eglwys / Church in the Sea
Simply stunning from every angle.
Amazingly, this tiny Anglesey church dates to the 12th century. Though when originally built it was part of the mainland, it now sits proudly on a tiny island.
Check the tides before you visit to make sure you can make it onto the island itself. A lovely spot for a water-loving dog to take a dip too.
3. Ynys Lawd / South Stack
A lighthouse and bird reserve on the most westerly edge of the island. It is wild, windy and looks like something from a film set. Beautiful views of the Llyn Peninsula and Bardsey island. Tune your radio and you might hear a few Irish accents – on a clear day you can even see the Wicklow Mountains.
4. Penmon
A remote and beautiful spot to view puffin island and Trwyn Du Lighthouse. There are rock pools to explore and photo opportunities aplenty. There are some excellent trips that take you to the story-book like island, too, where there is plenty of wildlife to be spotted.
5. Ynys Llanddwyn/ Llanddwyn island
Llanddwyn island is perched on the end of the idyllic beach, Newborough, and is home to a picture-perfect lighthouse, with the backdrop of Snowdonia and a romantic saint’s tale of love and loss at its heart. A pine forest that lines the beach offers many wonderful running routes. Check timings before you go as the island gets cuts off at high tide.
A pine forest that lines the beach offers many wonderful running routes. Check timings before you go as the island gets cuts off at high tide.
6. Ynys Tysilio / Church island
Just off the Belgian Promenade in Porthaethwy/Menai Bridge, this little island is accessed by a small causeway, that occasionally floods at high tide. Magnificent trees, a very pretty church, a viewing point, the odd red squirrel, and an incomparable view of the famous bridge itself en route.
Words and images by Jess Lea-Wilson.
