East Anglesey

East Anglesey is where the island meets the mainland — literally. The two Menai crossings, Telford's elegant suspension bridge and Stephenson's rebuilt rail bridge, have been the gateway to Ynys Môn for nearly two centuries, and Menai Bridge town (Porthaethwy) is still where most visitors take their first proper breath of island air. The east is the most populated, most visited, and — if we're being honest — the most photogenic corner of the island.

Beaumaris anchors the south of this region: a UNESCO World Heritage castle that sits at the Menai Strait's edge, surrounded by Georgian townhouses in shades of cream and sage. The town rewards a slow afternoon — the pier, the promenade, the Olde Bull's Head, and the steady parade of sailing boats through the Strait. North of Beaumaris, the coast roughens: Penmon Priory stands at the eastern tip with its Norman church and medieval dovecote, and just offshore, Puffin Island carries its seabird colonies and grey seals within RIB-trip distance.

Further north, the family beaches of Benllech and the vast tidal sands of Red Wharf Bay (Traeth Coch) occupy a stretch of east-coast shoreline that's been drawing visitors since Victorian times. The fishing village of Moelfre — famous for its RNLI heritage and the crab sandwiches at Ann's Pantry — sits at the far north-eastern corner of the region, where the Coastal Path becomes genuinely wild.