Anglesey attractions to visit on your family break
Anglesey a wonderful place for a family holiday. The best place to start is Beaumaris, where you’ll find the magnificent, medieval Beaumaris castle, and Beaumaris Gaol offering a glimpse into the past, with a fun angle for kids. Quite often there are plays, costumed dramas and other interactive things going on, which makes them particularly good for children. For a budget-friendly fun activity, have a go at crab fishing off the pier, followed by an ice-cream at the Red Boat, a really nice little ice-cream parlour on the main street.
There’s lots of attractions for animal lovers on Anglesey, including Anglesey Sea Zoo, the Pili Palas butterfly attraction and Foel Farm Park.
The RSPB reserve at South Stack is a ‘must-visit’ and great for children, because there’s a massive stone staircase that leads down to the lighthouse. We always used to take our kids there to build up an appetite. And the birds you see there are ones that children will love - like puffins and choughs - which are very colourful and make lots of noise.
Plas Newydd House & Gardens is an old favourite. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Eryri (Snowdonia) there are 40 acres of peaceful garden and 129 acres of woodland and parkland, perfect for enjoying an outdoor adventure. Garden highlights include a hand-built treehouse, nature hides, Frisbee™ golf course, play area and resident red squirrels.
Of course, no visit to Anglesey is complete without visiting Llanfairpwllgwyngyll Railway Station to take a photo at the famous long name station.
For something a bit more energetic, try horse-riding at Anglesey Riding Centre near Brynsiencyn, kayaking or canoeing with B-Active @ Rhoscolyn, or abseiling, climbing or coasteering with Anglesey Adventures.
For the ultimate adventure, RibRide offer fast rib rides along the Strait, which are so exciting - or try out their more sedate wildlife watching trips. The tides really rip through here, so you need to know where you’re going. There’s a stretch called the Swellies where there are whirlpools, and you can go right under both bridges, which is brilliant.
Anglesey beaches for families
Anglesey's beaches are brilliant for sandcastles, gathering shells, watching kitesurfers, or simply running around. The best place for rock-pooling is the beach at Porth Cwyfan in Aberffraw. My favourite beach, Llanddwyn, is backed by Newborough National Nature Reserve and forest. It’s just fabulous and there’s always something going on there.
Operating from Newry Beach in Holyhead, Anglesey Fishing and Boat Trips offer fishing trips on their vessel Upholder suitable for children from 5 years+ to experienced anglers, as well as private charters. On their second vessel Lopheila, they run sightseeing tours around Anglesey and day boat trips to the Isle of Man.
Eating out
At Dylan’s restaurant and pizzeria in Menai Bridge, the food is healthy but kid friendly. There are also lots of gastro pubs which cater nicely for children: the Black Lion at Llanfaethlu and the Brasserie at Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn in Beaumaris, the Oyster Catcher at Rhosneigr and the White Eagle at Rhoscolyn.
Further information
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