Cemaes

Cemaes sits at the northernmost point of Anglesey, where the island faces the Irish Sea with nothing between it and the Hebrides. The village is built around a natural harbour — one of the most sheltered on the north coast — with a broad sandy beach, a working quay, and a cluster of white cottages that have been painted the same shades of cream and pale blue for as long as anyone can remember.

The bay is excellent for swimming in summer: a gentle south-facing arc that holds its water temperature longer than the exposed western beaches, and quiet enough that you can usually find a stretch of sand. The snorkelling off the rocky headlands is good — wrasse, pollack, and occasionally bass in the clearer autumn water.

Cemaes Head to the west of the village offers one of the more dramatic short walks on the island: 20 minutes up and over the headland to views of the Skerries lighthouse offshore, the Llŷn Peninsula to the south, and on clear days the Mournes of Ireland. The coast east from Cemaes toward Amlwch is rugged and lightly walked, passing sea caves and rock arches that barely feature on tourist maps.

The village itself is modest but not without character: a couple of pubs, a Post Office, a chip shop, and the Bull Bay Hotel a mile east. The Anglesey Coastal Path runs directly through, making Cemaes a logical overnight stop for long-distance walkers. The former nuclear power station at nearby Wylfa has been closed since 2015 and is subject to ongoing decommissioning; a new reactor has been proposed but plans remain in flux.