Few places in Britain pack in as many lighthouses as Anglesey. The island sits on the shipping approach to Liverpool, ringed by tide races, reefs, and sandbanks — so generations of engineers studded its headlands with lights. Five of them are within reach of a visitor, and together they make one of the best themed days out on Ynys Môn.
South Stack (Ynys Lawd)
The most famous, and the most dramatic. South Stack Lighthouse stands on its own islet off Holy Island (Ynys Gybi), reached by 400 steps down the cliff and a small suspension bridge. Built in 1809, it sits below an RSPB seabird reserve — puffins, guillemots, and razorbills nest on the cliffs from April to July. The descent is steep and the bridge can close in high winds, but no other lighthouse here gives you cliffs, seabirds, and open Irish Sea all at once.
Penmon / Trwyn Du
At the island’s eastern tip, the black-and-white Trwyn Du Lighthouse stands in the water between Penmon Point and Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol). Built in 1838 after a nearby shipwreck, it still sounds a bell every 30 seconds. You can’t go out to it, but the view across to it from the Penmon shore — with Eryri (Snowdonia) behind — is one of the most photographed on the island, and the Penmon Priory ruins sit just up the road.
Llanddwyn (Twr Mawr and Twr Bach)
Llanddwyn Island, off the end of Newborough Beach, has not one but two old lights: the squat white Twr Mawr and the smaller Twr Bach, which guided ships into the Menai Strait. Reaching them means a beach-and-causeway walk that’s cut off at the highest tides — see how to walk to Llanddwyn Island for tide safety. It’s the most rewarding lighthouse walk on the island.
Point Lynas (Trwyn Eilian)
On the north coast near Amlwch, Point Lynas is unusual — a castellated, fort-like station built low on the headland rather than as a tall tower, because the cliff already gave it height. It marked the pilot station for ships taking on a Liverpool pilot. The headland walk out to it is quiet and bracing, with grey seals often in the water below.
The Skerries (Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniaid)
The outlier: a cluster of rocky islets four miles off Carmel Head, topped by a red-and-white tower that was one of the last privately owned lighthouses in Britain. You can’t land, but it’s visible from the north coast and from some boat trips, and on a clear evening it blinks on the horizon.
Making a day of it
The lighthouses split neatly by region. Pair South Stack with things to do in Holyhead on Holy Island; pair Penmon with things to do in Beaumaris in the east; and give Llanddwyn a morning of its own around the tide. Bring binoculars — every one of these headlands doubles as a spot for seals and porpoises — and pick a clear day for the views back to the mountains.