Discover 10 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Holyhead (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Holyhead Maritime Museum, Eglwys y Bedd, and Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles. Also, be sure to include St Mary's Church in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Holyhead (Wales).
Table of Contents
Holyhead Maritime Museum
Museum in Holyhead, Wales. The Holyhead Maritime Museum is a maritime museum located in Holyhead, North Wales.
Housed in what is claimed to be the oldest Lifeboat station in Wales (built c. 1858), it houses a number of collections.[1]
Address: 1 Walthew Ave, LL65 1AF Holyhead
Eglwys y Bedd
Eglwys y Bedd is all that remains of a 14th-century church in Anglesey, north Wales. It is set within the churchyard of St Cybi's, Holyhead, and may have been built on the site where Cybi lived and ministered. It is reputed to house the grave of Seregri, an Irish warrior who lived in the area in the 5th century.
It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them". It housed the first school in Holyhead in the 18th century and is now used by St Cybi's church.[2]
Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles
The Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles, also known as 'Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles', Cytiau'r Gwyddelod or the 'Irishmen's Huts', are the remains of a group of Celtic Iron Age huts near Trearddur on Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. The site is under the care of Cadw and can be visited all year round. The construction of these huts are very similar to those at Din Lligwy, having thick stone walls.[3]
St Mary's Church
Catholic church in Holyhead, Wales. St Mary's Church, Holyhead is a Roman Catholic church in Holyhead, a large town in Anglesey, north Wales. It is within the Diocese of Wrexham. The church was officially opened on 28 February 1965.[4]
Address: Longford Rd, LL65 1UT Holyhead
St Cybi's Church
Anglican church in Holyhead, Wales. St Cybi's Church is a medieval church near the Roman Caer Gybi in Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales. The church was Grade I listed in January 1968. The original church was constructed at Holyhead around 540 AD by St Cybi, a cousin of St David. The church was sacked by Viking invaders in the 10th century and damaged again in 1405 by Henry IV's invading force. The present church was built in the 13th century and stands near the Roman fort in Holyhead.[5]
Address: Stanley St, LL65 1HG Holyhead
The Celtic Gateway
Arch bridge. The Celtic Gateway is a stainless steel pedestrian and cycle bridge located in Anglesey, Wales. Opened on 19 October 2006 by Andrew Davies AM to better connect Holyhead's railway station and ferry terminal with the town centre for pedestrians and cyclists. The distance between the two was originally 830 metres, including two steep inclines and the crossing of a busy road. A 1991 bridge reduced the distance to 585 metres with one steep incline but with the road crossing still needed. The current bridge has one shallow incline and cuts the distance to 280 metres with no roads to cross.
Crossing the Old Holyhead Harbour, the North Wales coastal railway line and the A5154 (formerly the end of the A5), this 160-metre-long (520 ft), 7-metre-wide (23 ft) structure was built in the futuristic architectural style by the Italian company Cimolai. The whole length of the bridge is wheelchair and pram accessible. The Gateway is further enhanced by a number of artworks. These include: "Sun boats", a series of bronze plaques which have been built into the bridge paving. The sun boat image is derived from the sun-worshipping Celts who believed it travelled across the night sky in a boat; 'Porth Celtaidd - Celtic Gateway' a series of Venetian Glass mosaic by artist Gary Drostle.[6]
Skerries Lighthouse
Lighthouse in Wales. The Skerries Lighthouse was first lit on the highest point of the largest island in The Skerries, Isle of Anglesey after 1716. A patent for the lighthouse was subsequently obtained in 1824. The builder was William Trench, who lost his son off the rocks and died in debt in 1725. He is said to have originally been allowed a pension from the Post Office, rather than payment from shipping tolls. An act of 1730 allowed his son-in-law, Sutton Morgan, to increase the dues charged for shipping and confirmed the patent on the light to Morgan's heirs forever.[7]
Address: The Skerries, Holyhead
Caer Gybi Fort
Caer Gybi was a small fortlet in Roman Wales in the Roman province of Britannia Superior. Its name in Latin is unknown. Today it stands at the centre of Holyhead in the Welsh county of Anglesey. Holyhead is named Caergybi in Welsh, after the fort.
The fort is one of Europe's only three-walled Roman forts. The fourth side fronted the sea and was probably the site of a quay. Its date is unknown, but it is generally thought to be part of a late-4th-century scheme, associated with Segontium, which was used to defend the west coast against Irish sea-raiders. The Romans also built a watch tower, within Mynydd y Twr on the top of Holyhead Mountain, which was almost certainly used as the fort's look-out point. Both were possibly abandoned around 393, when the troops were sent to respond to the revolt of Eugenius of Gaul.
In the 6th century, the old fort was given to Saint Cybi, who founded a monastery there. The Church of St Cybi still stands on the site today, with a small detached chapel (Eglwys y Bedd) that reputedly stands over Cybi's grave.[8]
Port of Holyhead
Ferry terminal in Holyhead, Wales. The Port of Holyhead is a commercial and ferry port in Anglesey, Wales, handling more than 2 million passengers each year. It covers an area of 240 hectares, and is operated by Stena Line Ports Ltd. The port is the principal link for crossings from north Wales and central and northern England to Ireland. The port is partly on Holy Island and partly on Salt Island. It is made up of the Inner Harbour, the Outer Harbour and the New Harbour, all sheltered by the Holyhead Breakwater which, at 2.7 kilometres, is the longest in the UK.[9]
Holyhead Market Hall
Holyhead Market Hall, located in Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales, is a Grade II listed building built in 1855. It was commissioned by the local landowner and politician William Owen Stanley and built by J. Edwards Thomas. As well as housing the town's market it has historically been used as a law court, a military barracks, a mechanics' library and a boxing/wrestling venue. Located on the site of the old market cross and accessed from Stanley Street, the town's main throughfare, it was changed and improved in 1906. It is a two-storey building measuring 1,732 square metres and is built of local green shaley rubble with buff sandstone dressings and slate roofing. After 145 years of use the hall temporarily closed its doors, then became a furniture store and, fittingly, a grocery store. The building was listed in 1992, "for its importance to Holyhead and as a prominent mid C19 town centre building with a well preserved facade."
After it stood empty for 15 years, becoming one of the most "dilapidated civic buildings in Wales," the Isle of Anglesey County Council gained control of the building via a compulsary purchase order. The council then restored it with funding from the National Assembly for Wales and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Opening in September 2019, the building now houses the town's library as well as meeting rooms available to rent by local interest groups and businesses. In 2020 the project won a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Social Impact Award, with judges from the Institution stating: "The revitalising of Holyhead Market Hall has not only conserved a landmark building in Holyhead, but has also provided a much need social facility with a diverse range of activities. The remodelling of the building in a way that also retains and presents the archaeology and historic features of the building is impressive."[10]