Our first few days on Anglesey were spent dodging bank holiday crowds (not that we really saw any): the second half of the week was spent ticking off some our our must visit destinations on the island. Happily, the weather played along, gifting us some beautiful sunshine while remaining nice and cool for the dogs.
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Mynydd Parys
Chatting to people at work the week before our trip, quite a few of them had been to Anglesey and they nearly all recommended a visit to the old copper mines at Mynydd Parys. Copper has been mined here on a small scale for thousands of years, but activity ramped hugely up in the 18th century, with Mynydd Parys becoming one of the world’s biggest copper mines.
Having perused our guide books for a route, we struck gold (or should that be copper?) with a 2.5 mile circular from our Ordnance Survey book. There’s a good sized free car park at the start of the trail. The route winds its way around the site, taking in the best of the views on a surprisingly flat and easy walk (although there is a bit of uphill at the end, which, having climbed Holyhead Mountain in the morning, our tired legs found harder than it probably was!). It was so worth it though, and I’d definitely say that Mynydd Parys is an Anglesey must-visit.
While the book gives a rough time of 90 minutes to complete the walk, we were actually here for longer, taking our time to explore trails away from the main path. The scenery is amazing: we both felt like we should be in a national park in the US rather than in the UK! With reds, oranges and yellows of almost every hue, the landscape really does feel like it could be another planet entirely.
Dog friendly rating: 3/5. This route is stile and livestock free, and when we visited, it wasn’t too busy (although there were plenty of other people exploring the mountain). We did keep ours on leads as there are a few pools dotted around which I expect have a fair few nasty things in following all of the industrial activity here.
Red Wharf Bay & Pentraeth Forest
Anglesey is known for its beautiful beaches, and after a few days of keeping the dogs on their leads, we were keen to give them a chance for a good run. With the beach in mind Sam picked a 3 mile circular route from our Countryside Dog Walks guide which started at Red Wharf Bay, offering both forest and beach scenery.
There’s a small, free parking area by the beach, which we were the first to arrive at around 9am. High tide had only been an hour before, so we decided to reverse the route and head into the woods first, giving the tide time to recede. A short walk down a quiet road soon led into a surprisingly strenuous climb up into the woods – the reward is worth it though, with an incredible view over the beach.
Rather than heading deeper into Pentraeth Forest, the route skirts the edge, using narrow trails which are overgrown and muddy much of the time. I was glad I’d put my boots on! The path passes through an organic farm where there are signs warning of bullocks, horses and goats grazing freely, although we didn’t see any. It was surprisingly hard going, but it was at least quiet.
Eventually the route passes through someone’s (very large, very nice) garden, before dropping down steeply through the trees to join a quiet lane. Mercifully flat, it was a welcome break from the unceasingly up and down paths we’d been on up to this point.
It wasn’t long before the lane brought us to the beach. Red Wharf Bay is absolutely huge, and even just two hours after high tide, the sand stretched for miles. It might not have the same stunning backdrop as Newborough beach, but it has acres of space and it was so quiet: we were only sharing with two other dogs walkers, so really we might as well have had the beach to ourselves.
Dog friendly rating: 4/5. I definitely think Red Wharf Bay is the best dog friendly beach on Anglesey: it’s vast, sandy and dog friendly all year round. The trails in Pentraeth Forest were very narrow and winding, so not great for letting the dogs off lead – although other areas of the forest might be better for this. The route we followed was stile free.
Ynys Llanddwyn
Saving the best until last couldn’t be more true than in the case of Ynys Llanddwyn. A huge part of why I wanted to visit Anglesey, I’d put this walk off until the end of the week both to do it on the best weather day, and possibly also subconsciously because I didn’t want to be let down!
It’s probably the most popular walk on Anglesey, so we picked a walk from our Countryside Dog Walks book which started a little further away, in the hope that this route would be quieter. We parked for free at Pen Cob, which had plenty of spaces when we arrived at 9am on a Thursday.
The walk through the woods was really lovely. Very nearly completely flat, the trees aren’t oppressive at all and let in plenty of light, while the paths are mostly wide and well-surfaced (the trail being designed primarily for horse riders). And, we didn’t see a soul apart from a lone horse rider. The best kind of woodland trail!
After walking for about an hour, we left the forest and crossed some dunes to reach a sandy beach. There are two halves to the beach, one backed by the mountains of Eryri and one not: it’s the latter that we arrived onto. It was fantastic, and while it might not have had the same views, we had it entirely to ourselves and the dogs loved it.
Following a good run around on the beach, we meandered down to Newborough Warren where we picked up the trail to take us across to Ynys Llanddwyn. The island is tidal, so make sure to check the tide times before you go so that you aren’t disappointed! We visited about three hours after high tide and got across with no problems.
The island is charming, and fully lived up to my expectations having seen so many photos on Instagram – a rarity. You can wander up to the lighthouse, explore the ruins and read the information boards to uncover the story of Saint Dwynwen. The Welsh patron saint of lovers made her home here, becoming a nun after a sad story in which she unwittingly turned her beloved into a block of ice. I think she later managed to unfreeze him, but the story isn’t hugely clear…
The island today is only inhabited by birds and some hardy Welsh Mountain Ponies, who were enjoying the sunshine when we visited, and having a good scratch on the walls to help remove some of their hairy winter coats. Walking out to the lighthouse adds about a mile and a half onto the walk, so keep this in mind – it ended up bumping our walk up to about 8 miles.
Ynys Llanddwyn was definitely the highlight of the trip for me, and we spent a bit of time on the bench across from the lighthouse enjoying the view. Then, a quiet, easy walk back through the forest.
Dog friendly rating: 5/5. Dogs can enjoy time off lead both in the forest and on the beach, although there are restrictions on part of the beach (the bit with the mountainous backdrop), where dogs are banned from May to September. Dogs must also be kept on a short, fixed lead on Llanddwyn Island from April to September. The route is stile free, and it’s worth carrying water for your dog as there’s not much in the way of fresh water along the route.
Beaumaris Castle
As always, the end of the holiday rolled around far too quickly for my liking. Before officially setting off for home, we squeezed in one final stop at Beaumaris Castle. When I was at uni I studied landscape history, and during our study of castle architecture, Beaumaris was cited as the epitome of defensive castle building in the UK. Taking inspiration from the walls of Constantinople, Edward I had grand plans for Beaumaris, but unfortunately the castle was never finished after Edward was distracted by trouble to the north in Scotland. Beaumaris did still manage to make it into the ‘Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd’ UNESCO World Heritage site though – even if it’s not the catchiest title.
Entry to the castle is chargeable, although its free to Cadw members, as well as English Heritage members who have renewed their membership at least once. Approaching the castle is impressive, even in its unfinished state. We spent about an hour wandering around the site reading the information boards: timing our visit perfectly, departing just as three tour groups from cruise ships arrived.
Dog friendly rating: 4/5. Dogs on short leads are welcome in the ground floor areas of the castle. As it’s unfinished, that’s pretty much everywhere, except the wall walk. We took it in turns to pop up onto the walls to have a look at the view, which in one area looks across the town to the mountains on the mainland.
Where we stayed
We spent the week at Lake Dinam Cottage, a two bedroom cottage on an equestrian farm in the village of Caergeiliog. The cottage itself is a little on the cosy side and I think 4 people would feel a bit cramped, but with the two of us and the dogs we had a pleasant week. While not the most luxurious place we’ve ever stayed, it was clean, comfortable and equipped with everything we needed (sadly no dishwasher, but that’s a want rather than a need).
The huge plus (and the reason we booked) was the very large, securely enclosed back garden for the dogs to enjoy. Officially tested and declared spaniel proof! There’s also a hot tub to enjoy (for humans, not dogs).
Dog friendly rating: 4/5. The garden here is perfect for dog owners, securely enclosed and very spacious. I’ve just knocked off one point as the inside layout is quite tight and with our dogs not getting on brilliantly all of the the, I think we were pushing it in terms of them having their own space. You may come across the owner’s dogs and cats, either roaming around outside or on the other side of the fence.
And that’s it for another trip. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our stay on Anglesey – we’ve got lots more exciting plans for the rest of this year, so make sure to subscribe and follow along!
