Anglesey and South Stack Lighthouse

Anglesey is the largest island in Wales and it's packed with beaches, history, and dramatic coastline. South Stack Lighthouse, perched on a tiny island off the western tip reached by a bridge over crashing waves, is the island's most spectacular sight. The RSPB reserve around it is home to thousands of seabirds — puffins, razorbills, guillemots, and choughs nesting on the cliffs from April to July. The island's beaches are outstanding — Newborough Beach and Llanddwyn Island in the south (the island of lovers, with the ruins of St Dwynwen's church and views to Snowdonia), Rhosneigr for surfing and kitesurfing, and the hidden coves along the north coast. Beaumaris has a magnificent unfinished Edward I castle and a beautiful Georgian high street. Anglesey is connected to the mainland by the Menai Suspension Bridge (Thomas Telford's masterpiece) and the Britannia Bridge. The island has a distinct character from the mainland — flatter, more agricultural, with a proper Welsh-speaking community. The coastal path does the full circuit and is spectacular. Come in late spring for the wildflowers and seabirds, or autumn for empty beaches and dramatic skies.