You will want to seek out some top Anglesey attractions when you take a vacation on this sunny island off North Wales. After the travel arrangements have been sorted and you have chosen a suitable accommodation, whether a self-catering cottage or hotel, planning on things to do for the family is a priority. Anglesey has some very interesting and historic attractions which are well worth the time to visit.
Near Holyhead on Holy Island is South Stack and its iconic Trinity House lighthouse perched on a rocky outcrop. You will find the views from this spot truly breathtaking, but be warned there are 400 steps to the bottom of the cliff and then you need to cross a bridge. But it's worth it with magical sea views over to Ireland and the Welsh coast, and get your binoculars to watch sea birds on the cliffs and learn about the rich 200 year history of the lighthouse.
A permanent gallery of exceptional sketches of island fauna by Charles Tunnicliffe, originally from Macclesfield, is well worth a visit in Oriel, Llangefni. There is also a local history museum which covers the island's history back to the Stone Age, and there are up to eighteen temporary exhibitions annually. A permanent gallery dedicated to the works of the late Sir Kyffin Williams, the local naturalistic painter, is also worth a view when you visit the Oriel.
How would you like to visit the last remaining working windmill in Wales where you can watch stone ground wholemeal flour being made as the sails turn at Llynnon Mill, Llanddeusant? Near the windmill are some old mill stones and two roundhouses which are replicas of the sort of houses people lived in around 3,000 years ago. While you are at this Anglesey attraction you can also walk through nearby woodlands and see the remains of an old bakery.
The Gaol at Beaumaris designed by Joseph Hansom was built in 1829 and of all the wonderful Anglesey attractions, it must be among the gloomiest though no less interesting. closed in 1878 as a gaol, it is now a museum dedicated to showing what life was like as a Victorian prisoner, where the last execution was in 1872. Feel what it must have been like in the dark punishment cell, and see the treadmill used to pump water to the top floor of the prison.
Of all the Anglesey attractions with links to the sea, Moelfre Seawatch stands up there among the most significant. Moelfre is a quiet seaside village, which could pass as a Mediterranean fishing harbour, but living in the shadow of the Royal Charter shipping tragedy of 1859. See a modern lifeboat in action, learn about the heroism of local volunteers through the ages, including Coxswain Dic Evans, awarded two gold medals for his courage.
Beaumaris Courthouse was built in 1614 and here you have the chance to walk around the old rectangular Court room, stand in the dock and visit the grand jury room. Discover where the prisoners were kept while they waited for the trial and learn about some of the infamous prisoners on Anglesey. In 1742 the trial was held of notorious robbers accused of stealing from ships wrecked in a violent storm off Rhosneigr on the south west coast.
Your stay on this island will never be short of places to go and things to do, and will have a taste of the past as well as experience the present. Anglesey has the ability to blend the historic with the exhilarating and tragic and you can be sure that when you look back on your vacation these Anglesey attractions will not be far from your thoughts.
Article Source: TravelFreeGuides.com
David Phillips lives on the sunny island of Anglesey in North Wales and runs a helpful online guide covering local information and resources.
by: David Phillips
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Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 Time: 3:05 AM -
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