Anglesey Coastal Circuit

Anglesey — Ynys Môn in Welsh — is an island of lighthouses, Iron Age forts and clear views across the Menai Strait to Eryri’s peaks on the mainland. This roughly hundred-and-twenty-five-kilometre loop from Menai Bridge circles the island on A-roads and coastal lanes before returning to Thomas Telford’s suspension bridge. For classic and low-power campervans it is one of Wales’s gentler circuits: largely flat, well maintained, and never far from a village shop — a useful contrast after Eryri’s steep passes.

Clockwise from Menai Bridge, Beaumaris presents Edward I’s unfinished UNESCO castle on the shore, with Snowdonia visible across the water on clear mornings. The north and west coasts lead to South Stack Lighthouse: a steep footpath of hundreds of cliff steps reaches the Victorian tower where seabirds nest on sheer rock; the cliff-top car park is wind-exposed — hold doors when you step out. Holy Island’s Porth Dafarch offers the opposite mood: a sheltered sandy cove between headlands, quieter than many mainland resorts, with a short coastal walk of under an hour.

Eastern and southern shores pass Amlwch’s copper-mining heritage and wilder western cliffs, where the A5025 and smaller lanes keep the sea in view. Cut inland between coast sections if you want standing stones and quieter lanes. Pause at the Menai Suspension Bridge itself before leaving: completed in 1826, Telford’s bridge was a pioneering heavy-road suspension crossing, and the towers frame Eryri from the Anglesey side.

Important for vans: the Menai Suspension Bridge currently carries a temporary 3-metre height limit and 7.5-tonne weight limit (check Traffic Wales / Welsh Government updates). Vehicles taller or heavier should use the Britannia Bridge (A55) instead. Park at Beaumaris pay-and-display, South Stack’s cliff car park (arrive early in summer), and campsites at Trearddur Bay or near Holyhead. Do not overnight in Menai Bridge lay-bys. Wild camping without landowner permission is generally illegal. May–June bring long evenings and active seabird colonies; autumn often delivers crisp Eryri views across the strait after the summer caravan rush. Plan bridge choice before you commit to a Menai crossing with roof boxes, bikes or a raised pop-top. Confirm current height and weight limits on Traffic Wales; Britannia Bridge on the A55 is the reliable alternative for taller classic campervans and most modern motorhomes. South Stack’s cliff steps are steep and exposed — leave non-walkers at the car park viewpoint if knees or wind make the descent unwise. Beaumaris Castle tickets are sold on site via Cadw; combine with a waterfront stroll rather than circling for scarce harbour parking. Holyhead offers ferry connections to Ireland if you are continuing a longer Atlantic itinerary, but the coastal circuit itself needs no ferry. Two nights on the island let you wait out a wet morning without rushing the lighthouse and castle into the same crowded afternoon.

May and June bring the longest evenings for cliff walks after parking the van; October often clears the Menai Strait views after the summer caravan rush. Either way, treat Anglesey as a two-day island pause rather than a single ring-road dash — the lighthouse, castle and cove each deserve unhurried time.