PENTRAETH 4 miles NW of Menai Bridge on the A5025 A Parish Church of St Mary A Plas Gwyn

PENTRAETH 4 miles NW of Menai Bridge on the A5025 A Parish Church of St Mary A Plas Gwyn C Three Leaps Before land reclamation, this sleepy village stood on the edge of Traeth Coch (known in English as Red Wharf Bay). Its name reflects this, as it means head of the beach. At low tide, the almost 15 square miles of sand supported a flourishing cockling industry. Nowadays, this is a popular place for a holiday, even though it is not ideal for swimming due to the strong tidal currents. The Parish Church of St Mary dates originally from the 14th century, and in the graveyard is the mass grave of people who perished on the Royal Charter, 

a sailing ship that was blown onto the rocks near the village as it sailed from Australia to Liverpool (see also Moelfre). There are no names on the stones, as very few bodies were identified. Close to Plas Gwyn, an 18th-century Georgian mansion, is the Three Leaps – three small stones in a row that commemorate a contest in AD580 between two rivals for the hand of the granddaughter of the warrior Geraint. The contest was won by the man who could leap the furthest, 

in this case, by a champion named Hywel. The stones mark his efforts, in possibly what we now know as the triple jump. The loser is said to have died of a broken heart. BENLLECH 6½ miles N of Menai Bridge on the A5025 C Castell Mawr G Goronwy Owen With its excellent beach to attract holidaymakers, Benllech is probably the most popular resort on Anglesey, but those coming here should take care as there are strong tidal currents and the sands can be treacherous.

 This resort has another claim to fame, as the birthplace of the poet Goronwy Owen. He lived between 1723 and 1769, and spent his last years in Virginia as the rector of St Andrew’s Church in Laurenceville. His fame rests on an output of just 55 poems.

PENTRAETH 4 miles NW of Menai Bridge on the A5025 A Parish Church of St Mary A Plas Gwyn C Three Leaps Before land reclamation, this sleepy village stood on the edge of Traeth Coch (known in English as Red Wharf Bay). Its name reflects this, as it means head of the beach. At low tide, the almost 15 square miles of sand supported a flourishing cockling industry. 

Nowadays, this is a popular place for a holiday, even though it is not ideal for swimming due to the strong tidal currents. The Parish Church of St Mary dates originally from the 14th century, and in the graveyard is the mass grave of people who perished on the Royal Charter, a sailing ship that was blown onto the rocks near the village as it sailed from Australia to Liverpool (see also Moelfre). There are no names on the stones, as very few bodies were identified. Close to Plas Gwyn, an 18th-century Georgian mansion, is the Three Leaps – three small stones in a row that commemorate a contest in AD580 between two rivals for the hand of the granddaughter of the warrior Geraint. 

The contest was won by the man who could leap the furthest, in this case, by a champion named Hywel. The stones mark his efforts, in possibly what we now know as the triple jump. The loser is said to have died of a broken heart.

BENLLECH 6½ miles N of Menai Bridge on the A5025 C Castell Mawr G Goronwy Owen With its excellent beach to attract holidaymakers, Benllech is probably the most popular resort on Anglesey, but those coming here should take care as there are strong tidal currents and the sands can be treacherous. This resort has another claim to fame, as the birthplace of the poet Goronwy Owen. He lived between 1723 and 1769, and spent his last years in Virginia as the rector of St Andrew’s Church in Laurenceville. His fame rests on an output of just 55 poems. Traces of a hill fort, Castell Mawr, can be found on the west side of Red Wharf Bay, and on the evidence of coins found here, the site could once have been occupied by the Romans.

MOELFRE 9 miles N of Menai Bridge on the A5108 A Parish Church of St Gallgo F Royal Charter C Lligwy Burial Chamber E Ynys Moelfre B Seawatch Centre C Din Lligwy Village B Lifeboat Station This is a charming coastal village with a sheltered, pebbled beach, attractive cottages and sandy beaches to both the north and the south. Fame, however, 

came to Moelfre in an unfortunate and bizarre way via its lifeboat, which, over the years, has been involved in many rescues, two of which are worthy of mention Returning to Liverpool from Australia in October 1859, laden with cargo and passengers, including gold prospectors coming home after making their fortunes in the Australian Gold Rush, the Royal Charter sank. A rigged iron vessel and the pride of the merchant fleet, the ship was all set to make the long passage in record time but, while sheltering from a hurricane in Moelfre Bay, she foundered with the loss of 450 passengers and crew. 

Only 39 people survived, and many believe that the gold still lies with the wreck out in the bay. Efforts have been made to recover the lost fortune with varying but not overwhelming degrees of success and it has been said that the larger houses around Moelfre were paid for with gold washed ashore from the wreck. This is despite customs officers swamping the village in an attempt to ensure that any salvaged gold ended in the Exchequer rather than in the hands of the locals.

 Charles Dickens visited the site on New Year’s Eve 1859, and apparently based a story on the disaster in The Uncommercial Traveller (see also Pentraeth). One hundred years later, almost to the day, in October 1959, the coaster Hindlea, struggling in foul weather, had eight crew members rescued by the Moelfre Lifeboat. The rescue earned Richard Evans, the lifeboat’s coxswain, his second RNLI gold medal for gallantry. 

The Lifeboat Station can be visited between 9am and 4pm, with crew training at 7pm on Wednesdays. At Llanallgo, between Moelfre and Dulas, is the mainly 15th-century Parish Church of St Gallgo, with its ancient bell, one of the oldest in the country. It was struck in the 13th century, and bears the inscription Ave Maria Gracia Plena (Hail Mary, Full of Grace), as well as the imprint of an Edward I coin struck in 1281. In the graveyard is a memorial to the victims of the Royal Charter tragedy. St Gallgo is famous as being the brother of Gildas, the 6th century historian of Britain, 

who wrote De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae. He was born in the Kingdom of Strathclyde in Scotland, which at that time had strong ties with Wales, and even spoke the same language. The Seawatch Centre has displays and exhibits about Anglesey’s rich maritime heritage, including athe village’s lifeboat. Beyond the station is a small outcrop of rocks, Ynys Moelfre, a favourite spot for seabirds and, occasionally, porpoises.

 About a mile inland from the village, off the narrow road, is the impressive Lligwy Burial Chamber, a Bronze Age tomb with a huge capstone supported by stone uprights, which lies half hidden in a pit dug out of the rock. Close by is Din Lligwy Village, the remains of a Romano British settlement that covers over half an acre. 

Certainly occupied around the 4th century AD, after the Roman garrison on Anglesey had been vacated, some of the stone walls of the buildings can still be seen and excavations of the site have unearthed pottery, coins and evidence of metal working from that period. Nearby are the ruins of the 14th century Capel Lligwy LLANDDYFNAN 5 miles NW of Menai Bridge on the B5109 B Stone Science C Llanddyfnan Standing Stone To the west of the village lies Stone Science, an unusual attraction that tells the story of the earth from its beginning to the present – a journey spanning 650 million years. 

The museum illustrates the science with displays of fossils, crystals and artefacts, and there are numerous and varied items for sale in the Stone Science shop. Nearly opposite is the eight-feet-high Llanddyfnan Standing Stone. LLANGEFNI 6 miles NW of Menai Bridge on the B5420 B Oriel Ynys Môn The island’s main market and administrative centre, Llangefni is also the home of Oriel Ynys Môn (the Anglesey Heritage Centre), an attractive art gallery and heritage centre, built in 1991, 

which gives an insight into the history of Anglesey. From prehistoric times to the present day, the permanent exhibition covers a series of themes including Stone Age Hunters, Druids, Medieval Society and Legends. Llyn Cefni Reservoir to the northwest of the town is an important wildlife habitat and nature reserve overlooked by a hide; it also provides a pleasant picnic area. 

On the northwest edge of town by the River Cefni, The Dingle is a local nature reserve with footpaths through mature woodland. The A5114, which connects Llangefni to the A5, is the shortest A road in the British Isles.