Red Wharf Bay is named after a battle between the Welsh and Viking invaders in 1170, when the beach was left soaked in blood. It’s more peaceful today – fringed by pinewoods it’s one of the largest bays in Anglesey. Time your walk to be three hours either side of low tide to get the best of the sands.
START
Descend Brick Street, cross the stream and walk on to reach an old chapel and a line of almshouses on your left. Turn right on the fingerposted, grass-centred track and walk this above the valley and village. Just past a cattle-grid, fork left on a meadow-side path, following this to a distant gate into a walled path near a farm complex; jig right, then left here, continuing along a rough lane. At a fork keep left, passing by a typical Welsh longhouse before reaching the foreshore of Red Wharf Bay.
1 MILE
Turn right alongside the sea-marsh, richly coloured by pinks and purslane. Beyond this fringe, creeks draw your eye to the immense sands and the veneer of houses at Red Wharf Bay beyond.
Cross the bridge and turn left at the junction to a beach-side parking area beyond another bridge. Join the waymarked path to the right, the low-tide route of the Anglesey Coastal Path. Simply follow this path for the next mile along strands of silvery sand and tracks at the edge of the bay; there’s a wreck at one point. Immediately past a wooden cabin, turn right up the sandy path to reach a lane; go left on this. Great views over the bay and cliffs beyond are lost as the lane rises along the edge of woodland.
2.75 MILES
As the woods fail, turn right up the no through road and wind up this, past houses to a woodland-edge gate. Turn right up steps on a path just within the trees; this bends left into the woods at a waymark post. At a fork keep right; a possibly muddy path eventually reaches a forest road.
Turn right up the rougher track; just past the smallholding, fork left on a waymarked footpath into the trees. This path winds through mature pinewoods, home to a colony of elusive native red squirrels, before emerging on to a forest road and an incredible panorama of Snowdonia’s peaks. Turn right to a major junction in about 300m.
4 MILES
Turn right to find a waymark post in around 250m, pointing the way right, across a felled area. The path re-enters woodland, crosses a stile and falls to a gate into a rough lane at a barn. Turn right to a hairpin-bend, slip left here into a falling footpath to reach cottages. Turn left to reach a lane.
Bear right and wind towards and then past the house, using the gates to reach the beach. Turn left back to the car park, cross the bridge and keep ahead at the junction. This lane takes you back to Pentraeth, so keep right to head into the village centre and back to the car park.
Useful Information
TERRAIN
Back lanes, beach, woodland paths and tracks. Hilly and possibly muddy in Pentraeth Forest. Time your walk to be three hours either side of low tide to get the best of the sands. www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/tides
HOW TO GET THERE
by car: Pentraeth is on the A5025, 5.5 miles from Llanfair PG and Menai Bridge. The car park is in the village centre north of the Panton Arms.
By public transport: Service 62 links Bangor and Amlwch via Pentraeth.
Traveline Cymru
Tel. 0871 200 2233
www.anglesey.gov.uk
REFRESHMENTS
The Panton Arms
Pentraeth LL75 8AZ
Tel. 01248 450696
MORE INFO
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll Tourist Information Centre
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll,
Anglesey LL61 5UJ
Tel. 01248 713177
Visit Wales
www.visitwales.co.uk