Coastal marvels come in many forms, and nowhere is this more palpable than on the northern shores of Anglesey, where twinkling seas, sandy bays and mighty cliffs offer a canvas for some of Wales’ most striking historic relics, says Dixe Wills
Dixe Wills is an author and travel writer. His books include The Wisdom of Nature and Tiny Islands..
WALK: Cemaes, Anglesey
Wherever you happen to be in Britain, you’re never more than 70 miles from the coast. It’s no wonder, then, that the British are mildly obsessed by the seaside. And what a seaside it is.
According to the Ordnance Survey, the coastline extends to a whopping 11,072.76 miles (17,819.88km) – and that’s just the British mainland. There’s an extraordinarily rich variety on offer, too. Depending on where you go, you could find yourself on a stretch of coast where history, culture and geography have been shaped by the North Sea, the English Channel, the Bristol Channel, the Irish Sea or the Atlantic.
LIVING WITH THE SEA
As a seafaring nation, it’s natural that a good deal of Britain’s heritage is bound up in its coastline. Stone-built villages tumble down to harbours where once fishing boats put out to sea in all weathers. Meanwhile, trading ports established by the Romans, Vikings, Celts and Saxons have developed into towns and cities or withered into sleepy little hamlets.
The shoreline also bears witness to our often-fractious relations with our European neighbours. Castles, forts, Martello towers, blockhouses, gun emplacements and pill boxes still keep watch for enemies that have long since become friends. And just off shore, hidden from view, thousands of vessels from every era of the nation’s history moulder beneath the waves.
NATURE OF OUR SHORES
But perhaps what most attracts people to the British coastline are the natural wonders: dizzying cliffs, mysterious caves, high waves of dunes, breathtaking sea stacks and glorious expanses of shimmering sand stretching out towards the horizon. And who knows what delights of flora and fauna might await us there? A lush greensward speckled with thrift and sea campion, or a cliff face alive with colonies of seabirds. An estuary teeming with waders seeking out lunch, seals basking on a rock, or a dolphin playing in the waves. Or perhaps (whisper it), just a little peace and quiet and a breath of sea air.
YNYS MÔN MAGIC
The museum in Cemaes on Ynys Môn (Anglesey) maintains that there have been people living on this part of the island since the Stone Age. Anyone who has ever visited the little fishing po
