CASTLES, MOUNTAINS AND ONE DRAGON

I’m so lucky to live near one of the most beautiful places in Wales. Anglesey, or as we know it in welsh as ‘Ynys Môn’, is an island located just off the mainland’s west Coast. Surrounded by beautiful coastline, this place will have your heart from your first glance and it’s just a stones-throw away from the stunning Snowdonia National Park. It’s the place where Prince William and Kate chose to spend their first years of marriage and it’s also home to ‘Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch’ the longest place name in Europe.

Anglesey is separated from mainland Wales by a stretch of water called the ‘Menai Strait’ this is spanned by two picturesque bridges, the Menai Bridge and the Britannia Bridge. If you go back into the Middle Ages, the island was actually known as ‘Mam Cymru’ ('Mother of Wales') as the area had great fertile land which was brilliant for the people of North Wales. The actual name of ‘Anglesey’ is thought to have derived from the Viking era... who knew!

Surrounded by a vast enticing coastline, Anglesey is a tourist hotspot all year round. I’d definitely recommend walking or cycling around the 200km path that surrounds the island. Here you can have your go at spotting some of Britain’s rarest birds and wildlife or you can hit the waves and try your luck surfing on the swells as you travel around the island.

If you’re a history buff, you’ll love the fact that Anglesey is home to some amazing castles, my favourite being Beaumaris Castle. This 13th century castle was built by Edward I during his campaign around that time, to conquer the whole of North Wales. The castle is also in a great location and from the tops of the castle’s towers you can grab a great view of the Menai Strait and far beyond...

If I’ve inspired you to visit this scenic island, it’s really easy to get to:

If you follow signs on the A55 expressway towards Bangor, Anglesey is pretty much sign-posted most of the way. You can also get to Bangor or Holyhead via trains which are quite frequent everyday.