Day 2: The ‘Long Name Station’, Plas Newydd and Beaumaris Castle and town
My second day in Anglesey was a bit more cloudy, so I decided to visit some attractions that didn’t need perfect weather. If you’re spending one week in Anglesey, North Wales you’ll probably get some cloudier or rainy days – so it’s worth having some activities that don’t need great weather.
The ‘Long Name Station’ – Llanfairpwllgwyngyll etc
One of the famous quick photos stops in Anglesey is the small village with a stupidly long name. You can visit the train station in the village to take a photo of the long name – and try to pronounce it! The full name is: llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
Plas Newydd
Plas Newydd is a house owned by the National Trust, right on the edge of the Mennai Strait. It’s an impressive house, with lovely views down to the house and across the water.
Inside the house is interesting as well. I enjoyed looking around the rooms. My favourite room was a room with a large painting that covered an entire wall. The painting had loads of interesting details when you looked at it more closely.
The grounds of Plas Newydd were nice to walk around as well. It’s possible to see red squirrels in the grounds of Plas Newydd, but unfortunately I didn’t see any. But there were still many nice flowers in the gardens and the grounds, including lots of wild garlic, and also some birds.
Beaumaris Castle
In the afternoon, I drove the short distance to Beaumaris Castle. Beaumaris Castle dates back to the 13th century and it’s a really interesting castle to explore. It looks like a classic Welsh castle, complete with a moat filled with water.
Inside the castle, there’s lots to explore. There are lots of spiral staircases that take you up the towers and to the higher wall walks. Some of the spiral staircases are a bit scary as they’re very narrow, but there’s usually a rope hand rail so it’s manageable. The views at the top are worth the climb. I particularly loved seeing the nesting seagulls at the top of the towers.
Beaumaris town
Beaumaris town is also worth exploring after you’ve visited the castle. The castle is right next to the town, so you can leave your car in the castle car park and just walk into the town. The streets are lined with independent shops and some cafes, tea rooms and pubs. It’s a great place to stop for a drink.
There’s a pier as well, which gives lovely views across the water.
Day 3: Caernarfon Castle and Portmeirion
If you’ve got one week in Anglesey, North Wales, I’d recommend spending a couple of days visiting things just off the island of Anglesey on mainland Wales. There’s so much to see in this part of Wales, so it’s worth taking the short drive off Anglesey on some days. On one of your days off Anglesey, I’d recommend visiting Caernarfon Castle and the pretty village of Portmeirion.
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle, pronounced car-nar-von, is one of the biggest castles in North Wales. The town is pretty, with boats along the water and a cute market square just outside the castle.
Caernarfon Castle dates back to the 11th century. There’s loads to explore, so expect to spend a couple of hours here. There are lots of narrow spiral staircases, and walkways within the castle and also up on the walls.
The views from the tops of the tower are great. There’s also a museum about Wales’ military history in the castle as well.
Portmeirion
Portmeirion is a really unique village in Wales. It was built in the 1900s by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, and it has the style of an Italian village. I really enjoyed visiting Portmeirion.
It’s a really colourful village, with pretty colourful buildings. There were lovely flowers in the gardens around the village as well.
Walking around in the sunshine, I could easily have believed I was in the Mediterranean. The only thing that reminded me I was in Wales were the beautiful views from the village to the sea and mountains just beyond.
Portmeirion has several cafes and bars, so it’s a great place to stop for a drink. I really enjoyed drinking a local beer in the sunshine.
There are some beautiful woodland walks as well. I decided to follow the ‘blue’ trail on the map, which the map said would take 30-40 minutes. However, it wasn’t that far – you could easily do it in 20 minutes if you walked fast, but it was worth taking it slow to enjoy the views.
The walk started off through the woodland and the Chinese lakes. And then it turned downhill, to head down to the lighthouse and the beach.
I loved this part of the walk, where you could see the beach and sea and mountains. I took so many photos of this view!
The walk loops back around to head back into village. So you’ll have time for some more photos of the village before it’s time to head home.
Keep reading on the next page for things to do on Day 4 and beyond of your week in Anglesey.