Beaumaris

Beaumaris sits on the eastern shore of Anglesey, looking straight across the Menai Strait to the mountains of Snowdonia. It is the island's most polished small town: a curving seafront of Georgian and Victorian houses in ice-cream colours, a working pier where families still dangle crab lines, and, at its edge, the last and largest of Edward I's Welsh castles rising out of a still-water moat. The name itself comes from the Norman French "beau marais", the beautiful marsh, and the flat green ground the castle was built on still gives the town its open, level layout, unusual for a medieval settlement in this part of Wales.

For centuries Beaumaris was Anglesey's county town, and that former importance shows in buildings well beyond the castle: the Georgian courthouse, the Victorian gaol, the grand seafront hotels built for genteel Victorian holidaymakers arriving by steamer, and a parish church that still holds the stone coffin of a medieval Welsh princess. Sailing has always mattered here too, and on a summer evening the moorings off the green fill with yachts and dinghies, while the lifeboat station and a scatter of independent shops and cafes keep the town feeling lived-in rather than preserved in aspic.

Beaumaris makes an easy base for the rest of Anglesey and for a first look at Snowdonia, but it rewards a slow visit in its own right. Its streets are compact enough to explore on foot in an afternoon, yet layered enough in history, wildlife-watching and coastal walking to fill several days, especially once Puffin Island, Penmon Point and the wider Menai shoreline are added to the itinerary.

Top things to do in Beaumaris

The castle dominates any visit, but Beaumaris has plenty else to fill a few days:

• Beaumaris Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and widely regarded as the most technically perfect of Edward I's Welsh fortresses, built on a concentric "walls within walls" plan with its own tidal dock; climb the gatehouse for views over the strait to Snowdonia.
• Beaumaris Gaol and Courthouse give a vivid, sometimes grim, picture of Victorian justice on Anglesey, from the treadwheel and condemned cell to the courtroom where sentences were handed down; a combined ticket covers both.
• Beaumaris Pier is the natural focus of a family afternoon, with crab lines dangling from the railings, ice creams from the kiosk, and views along the strait toward the Menai Suspension Bridge.
• Puffin Island boat trips leave from the pier in season, running close to the seabird colonies and grey seal haul-outs off Anglesey's eastern tip without landing on the island itself.
• Beaumaris Artisan Market takes over the town every Sunday from Easter to the end of October, with Anglesey producers selling cheese, cakes, preserves and crafts alongside the usual market stalls.
• St Mary and St Nicholas Church is a quietly remarkable medieval building holding the stone coffin of Princess Joan, wife of Llywelyn the Great, moved here after Llanfaes friary was dissolved.
• Baron Hill, the roofless shell of the former Bulkeley family mansion on the wooded hillside above the town, can be glimpsed from public footpaths and adds a haunting note to a walk out of the centre.
• The Menai Strait shoreline path toward Penmon Point and its lighthouse gives some of the best walking on this side of Anglesey, with views back across the water to Puffin Island and the Great Orme.

Getting to Beaumaris

Beaumaris has no railway station of its own; the nearest is Bangor, on the main line from London Euston, served by direct Avanti West Coast trains taking around three and a half to four hours, with additional Transport for Wales connections from Cardiff, Manchester and Chester. From Bangor, local buses and taxis cross the Britannia Bridge onto Anglesey and reach Beaumaris in fifteen to twenty minutes.

By road, the A55 North Wales Expressway is the main route in from England, crossing onto Anglesey via the Britannia Bridge; leave at the Menai Bridge junction and follow the A545 through Menai Bridge town and along the strait into Beaumaris, a run of around ten minutes. From the Midlands or London, allow four to four and a half hours' driving to reach Anglesey, more on a busy bank holiday.

Parking in the town itself is on-street and in a handful of pay-and-display car parks close to the castle and the green; these fill quickly on fine summer weekends and on Artisan Market Sundays, so arriving early or walking in from Menai Bridge is worth considering at busy times.

Best time to visit Beaumaris

Spring brings quieter streets, daffodils around the castle moat and good conditions for walking the Anglesey Coastal Path before the summer crowds arrive. It is a reliable season for wildlife too, with seabirds returning to nest around Puffin Island.

Summer is Beaumaris at its busiest and, arguably, its best: sailing regattas fill the water off the green, the pier is at its liveliest, and Puffin Island boat trips run at full frequency. Hotels and the better restaurants get booked up well ahead, so early planning pays off.

Autumn is a favourite for many regulars, with milder crowds, good seafood still in season, and clear days that show off Snowdonia across the strait particularly well. Storm-watching from the pier has its own appeal once the weather turns.

Winter is quiet and atmospheric, with mist often sitting over the castle moat and open fires in the town's older pubs. Some attractions reduce their hours or close for the season, so it suits visitors happy with walking, food and pub time over ticketed sights.

Where to stay in Beaumaris

Castle Street and the town centre put visitors within walking distance of the castle, the gaol, the shops and most restaurants, and suit anyone wanting a short break without needing a car once they have arrived.

The seafront and the green, overlooking the Menai Strait toward Snowdonia, hold Beaumaris's grandest addresses and suit couples and anyone prioritising a view, particularly out of season when a strait-facing room comes at its best value.

The edges of town toward Menai Bridge and Llandegfan offer more space and easier parking, and suit families or anyone touring more widely across Anglesey by car.

Toward Llangoed and Penmon, a few miles along the coast, the setting turns rural and beach-facing, better suited to walkers and cyclists who want Beaumaris nearby rather than under their window.

Food and drink in Beaumaris

Seafood is the local strength, with crab and mussels landed from the Menai Strait turning up on menus across town, and Anglesey Sea Salt, produced nearby at Brynsiencyn, appearing as a finishing touch in several kitchens. Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn's Townhouse Brasserie has built a strong reputation on this local produce, while the Liverpool Arms and Castle Court Hotel keep the town's pub tradition going with real ale and simpler, well-priced food.

The Beaumaris Artisan Market on Sundays, running from Easter to the end of October, is the best single stop for local cheese, cakes, preserves and other Anglesey produce, and cafes along Castle Street fill up around it for coffee and cake between stalls. For an easy pier-side treat, an ice cream while watching the crabbing lines is as much a Beaumaris tradition as anything on a restaurant menu.