Discover Beaumaris

Free things to do

You can see a good deal of Beaumaris without a ticket.

• The pier – a stroll, the views towards Eryri, and boat departures in season. ^{Beaumaris Town Council}
• Crabbing from the pier. Gear is sold at the Pier House kiosk. (Local information, 13 Nov 2026.)
• The beach – sand and shingle, with a slipway. There is no lifeguard cover, and the RNLI lifeboat station is on The Green. (Local information, 13 Nov 2026.) ^{RNLI Beaumaris Lifeboat Station} Swimming is not recommended because of the currents. ^Wikipedia
• The Green – for a sit, a view of the Strait, and a starting point for the town walk.
• The views across the Menai Strait towards Eryri, from the pier and from the castle setting. ^{Beaumaris Town Council}

The castle, the gaol and the courthouse are ticketed. Check Cadw and Beaumaris Town Council before you go.

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Castle and World Heritage

Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net), CC BY-SA 4.0

Cadw calls Beaumaris “the greatest castle never built”. ^Cadw Begun in 1295 beside the Menai Strait to a plan so ambitious it was never completed, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ^Cadw

Building began in 1295 on the “beau mareys” or “beautiful marsh”. ^Cadw

It has four concentric rings of defences, a water-filled moat with its own dock, and around 300 arrow loops in the outer walls. ^Cadw

Four rings of walls, a moat with its own dock, and a master plan frozen mid-build.

Why do the towers stop short?

Beaumaris was built on an ambitious concentric plan, then the money ran out. With trouble in Scotland too, work slowed by the 1320s, and the towers never rose to full height. It is a rare chance to see a medieval master plan frozen part-way. ^Cadw

It is part of the “Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd” World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1986, with Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech. UNESCO credits Beaumaris and Harlech largely to James of St George. ^UNESCO

Cadw says: “The result, both individually and collectively, is the finest surviving example of late thirteenth-century military architecture in Europe.” ^Cadw

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Gaol and courthouse

Beaumaris Gaol was built in 1829. It served as the county prison for Anglesey throughout the nineteenth century, holding prisoners awaiting trial and those serving sentences. Visitors can explore the original cell blocks, corridors and exercise yards, and displays on the history of law, order and justice on the island. ^{Beaumaris Town Council}

Beaumaris Courthouse was built in 1614. It was the venue for Quarter Sessions and Assize Courts, and it stands as a reminder of the town’s historic role as the county town of Anglesey. ^{Beaumaris Town Council Town Council history}

Both buildings are a short walk from the castle, the seafront and Castle Square. ^{Beaumaris Town Council}

Two public executions took place on the gallows in the gaol’s perimeter wall. ^Cadw The second, and last, was the hanging of Richard Rowlands in April 1862. ^{People’s Collection Wales} Gallows Point, on the shoreline west of the town, takes its name from the earlier town gallows that once stood there. It was formerly known as Osmund’s Ayre; a local story, likely apocryphal, links that earlier name to a man being led to his execution. ^{Beaumaris Town Council}

A combined Beaumaris Passport covers the gaol and the courthouse. From 1 April 2026 the Town Council fees are: adult £10.50; child (under 18) £7.50; joint adult (2 persons) £16.50; joint OAP (2 persons) £14.50; family ticket (2 adults, up to 3 children) £35.00. Prices can change, so please check with the council before you go. ^{Beaumaris Town Council, fees from 1 April 2026}

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The pier

© 2026

Beaumaris Pier was designed by Frederick Foster and opened in 1846. ^{National Piers Society} The pier offers views across the Menai Strait towards Eryri. ^{Beaumaris Town Council}

It was originally built with wooden piles and iron girders, and was rebuilt in 1872 after storm damage. Further work in 1895 extended it to 570 feet (174 m). ^{National Piers Society}

After it deteriorated in the years after the Second World War, and later refurbishment, the pier was officially reopened in June 2012. Before that work, boats had been unable to land properly. ^{National Piers Society}

Boat trips still leave from the pier, including wildlife cruises around Puffin Island, trips along the Menai Strait, and sea fishing. ^{National Piers Society} The Chamber’s boat operators — Anglesey Boat Trips, Seacoast Safaris Cruises and Starida — are listed in the same format on Plan your visit. They book at the pier entrance. ^{Starida booking notes} (Local information, 1 Nov 2026.)

Crabbing gear is sold at the Pier House kiosk. (Local information, 13 Nov 2026.)

A short level walk joins the pier, the Green and the castle. (Local information, 13 Nov 2026.)

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The beach

Beaumaris has a sand-and-shingle beach, with a slipway and cafés nearby, as shown on the Eat, Drink and Shop map. There is no lifeguard cover. (Local information, 13 Nov 2026.) The tides in the Menai Strait cause very strong currents, so swimming is not recommended. ^Wikipedia

The RNLI lifeboat station is on The Green, LL58 8BS, beside the pier. ^{RNLI Beaumaris Lifeboat Station}

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Landscape, walks and wildlife

Beaumaris lies in the Isle of Anglesey National Landscape, formerly called an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The legal designation is unchanged. ^{Anglesey Council}

The Wales Coast Path to Penmon Point

The Anglesey Coastal Path here is the island’s section of the Wales Coast Path. ^{Wales Coast Path} The official walk from Beaumaris to Penmon Point is 4.5 miles (7.25 km) one way, so plan a return. ^{Wales Coast Path} The path leads out from the town along the coast, with views of the Carneddau mountains across the Menai Strait. ^{Wales Coast Path}

A London Gazette notice of 3 November 1896 recorded that a new navigation light would shortly be exhibited at Mount Field, on the coast north-east of Beaumaris. ^{The London Gazette} Please view the spot from the path.

Follow the official Wales Coast Path and Anglesey Coastal Path waymarking.

Penmon Point – a half-day add-on

Anthony Parkes, CC BY-SA 2.0

The path from Penmon village passes Penmon Church and Priory, the dovecote and the deer park, with views to Puffin Island. ^{Visit Anglesey} From the priory, a private road continues to the Point and Trwyn Du lighthouse. ^{Visit Anglesey}

St Seiriol, the priory and Ynys Seiriol

Penmon’s history stretches back to the 6th century, when a monastery was established here by St Seiriol (Sant Seiriol). ^{Cadw Dictionary of Welsh Biography} The holy well that bears his name, Ffynnon Seiriol, is thought to belong to that early period, though the cell that houses it is later. ^Cadw The priory remains largely date from the 13th century, when the community became Augustinian, and the church still serves the parish. Inside, when the church is open, there is a 10th-century carved cross. ^Cadw Close by is Penmon Dovecote, built around 1600. ^Cadw The parts of the site in Cadw’s care are free to visit; please check Cadw before you go. ^Cadw

Puffin Island, in Welsh Ynys Seiriol, takes the saint’s name. Remains of a medieval monastic settlement, including a twelfth-century church tower, still stand on the island. ^Coflein The island is not open to the public without the landowner’s permission. ^{Visit Anglesey}

A later tradition tells that Seiriol, known as Seiriol Wyn (“the fair” or “the white”), and St Cybi of Holyhead, known as Cybi Felyn (“the tanned” or “the yellow”), met each week in the middle of Anglesey, at Clorach near Llanerchymedd. ^{Dictionary of Welsh Biography Coflein} Cybi’s chief foundation was at Caer Gybi, Holyhead, where, according to tradition, he established himself within the walls of a Roman fort. The fort, which dates from the 3rd century, is in Cadw’s care, and St Cybi’s Church stands within it. ^{Dictionary of Welsh Biography Cadw}

Penmon Point is reached by a private toll road (cars £7.50 at last check, 2026, paid on arrival); there are no facilities. (Local information, 13 Nov 2026.) Visit Anglesey notes the toll road to Trwyn Du. ^{Visit Anglesey} Charges can change, so please check when you arrive. Walkers and cyclists can avoid the toll by parking back towards Penmon village and walking in, or by walking the Wales Coast Path from Beaumaris. ^{Atlas of Wales}

Puffin Island

© 2026

© 2026

© 2026

© 2026

Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol) is a Special Protection Area of European importance for breeding cormorants. Guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars, shags and eider also nest there, and grey seals haul out on the shore. ^{NRW management plan}

Puffins breed on the island too, and the colony is growing, with more seen in 2026 than in recent years. (Local information, 13 Nov 2026.) Visit Anglesey gives the breeding season as April to July. ^{Visit Anglesey}

How can I see the puffins?

The best way to see them is on a boat trip in the breeding season, April to July. ^{Visit Anglesey} The island is not open to the public without the landowner’s permission, but boat trips run around it in summer from Beaumaris. ^{Visit Anglesey} Chamber boat operators are listed fairly on Plan your visit.

Keep your distance from seals and nesting birds.

The Menai Strait and bridge

© 2026

The Menai Strait (in Welsh, Afon Menai) separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd on the Welsh mainland. It is about 16 miles (25 km) long, and its tides cause very strong currents. ^Wikipedia

The Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford, opened on 30 January 1826. It was one of the world’s first major suspension bridges and is a Grade I listed structure. ^Wikipedia The bridge is open to traffic, with a weight restriction. (Local information, 22 Oct 2026.)

The mills on the Afon Meigan

Two water mills, known as Melinau Meigan or Britons Mills, stood in the steep valley of the Afon Meigan, on the west side of the town. ^Coflein Interpretation boards at the site record that the mills existed before 1528, and were named Britons Mills in 1610. They later belonged to the Bulkeley family of Baron Hill. ^Coflein The initials R B and the date 1675 are carved on a stone of the upper mill, Melin Uchaf, which survives as a roofless shell. By 1858 it had an overshot waterwheel driving three pairs of stones. In the later nineteenth century the lower mill went out of use, and the upper mill was converted to cut and polish slate, a use that ended in the 1920s. ^Coflein

A woodland walk

The valley is a public open space, with a woodland path to the mill remains and interpretation boards. ^{Coflein Heneb} Please keep to the paths in the open space, and do not enter the private grounds of Baron Hill further up the valley. ^{Coflein Cadw}

Baron Hill

Baron Hill, the ancestral home of the Bulkeley family, stands in woodland about 0.6 miles (0.9 km) north-west of the town centre, on the north side of the B5109. ^Cadw It was built in 1612 for Sir Richard Bulkeley and largely rebuilt in 1776–79 by Samuel Wyatt for the 7th Viscount Bulkeley, with a landscape park by William Emes. Princess Victoria visited in 1832. The house has been uninhabited since the 1920s. ^Cadw During the Second World War it was requisitioned as temporary housing for Polish soldiers. ^Cadw A fire during the war left it ruinous, and it is now roofless and overgrown. ^{Coflein Cadw} The house is private and is not open to the public; please view it only from public paths. ^Cadw

Sailing

The Menai Strait is a sailing water, and the Royal Anglesey Yacht Club is in Beaumaris. ^{Royal Anglesey Yacht Club} For 2027 Menai Strait Regattas dates, see the club’s page. That page, checked on 13 November 2026, does not yet list dates. ^{Royal Anglesey Yacht Club} When racing is on, the Green and the pier are places to watch from.

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Churches and Christian heritage

Meirion, CC BY-SA 2.0

Beaumaris has three churches and a chapel open for worship today.

• St Mary and St Nicholas (Church in Wales), Church Street. ^{Church in Wales Wikipedia}
• Our Lady Queen of Martyrs (Roman Catholic), Rating Row. ^{Wikipedia Catholic church directory}
• Oasis Church Anglesey (Elim Pentecostal), Margaret Street. ^{Oasis Church}
• Capel y Drindod (Welsh Calvinistic Methodist, now the Presbyterian Church of Wales), Chapel Street. ^{Coflein Cadw}

St Catherine’s Church at Llanfaes is now closed for worship (see below).

What is the coffin in the porch?

The porch of St Mary and St Nicholas holds a stone coffin and carved lid traditionally identified as Joan (Siwan), daughter of King John and wife of Llywelyn the Great. She died in 1237 and was buried at Llanfaes, where Llywelyn founded a friary in her memory. ^Cadw Some historians now question the identification on the evidence of the carving’s style. ^{Anglesey History}

The friary at Llanfaes

A Franciscan friary at Llanfaes was founded by Llywelyn the Great (Llywelyn ap Iorwerth) in memory of his wife Joan (Siwan), who died in 1237, and was dissolved in 1538. ^{Monastic Wales} There are no visible remains. ^Heneb The church’s stall-work may have come from the friary. ^{Monastic Wales}

Nearby, Henllys Hall was built in 1852 by Hansom. In the 1950s it was St Bonaventure’s Franciscan friary; it was later a hotel and is now apartments. ^Coflein

Industrial heritage at Fryars

During the Second World War, Saunders-Roe established a flying-boat works at Fryars, on the site of the former friary, to convert Catalina flying boats for the RAF. ^{Heneb Coflein} The works were set up from 1940, and the first Catalina arrived in April 1941; more than 300 were converted here. ^{Heneb Coflein} After the war the same site built coachwork for buses, including aluminium bodies on Leyland chassis. ^{Coflein The Commercial Motor} Later, as Laird (Anglesey) Ltd, it also built refuse-collection vehicle bodies. ^{Heneb The Commercial Motor} The works closed in 1997. ^{History Points} The wartime slipway and hangars remain. ^{Coflein History Points}

Penmon and St Seiriol

The story of St Seiriol, Penmon Priory and Puffin Island is told with the Penmon half-day on Landscape, walks and wildlife. ^Cadw

Service times are not listed here. Please check with each church or chapel directly: Church in Wales ^{parish page}; Roman Catholic ^{parish page}.

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Welsh culture and language

Beaumaris has a standard Welsh place-name, Biwmares. ^{Welsh Language Commissioner}

Wales marks St Dwynwen’s Day on 25 January ^{Visit Wales} and St David’s Day on 1 March. ^Wikipedia

The town’s festival, Gŵyl Beaumaris Festival, publishes its programme in both languages. ^Festival

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