North Stack, South Stack and Holyhead Mountain.

Start. Breakwater Country Park.

Route. Breakwater Country Park - North Stack - Holyhead Mountain - Radio Stations - Lookout Station (ruin) - South Stack - South Stack Road - Goferydd - Radio Stations - South Stack Cliffs - Breakwater Country Park.

Notes. Holyhead Mountain the highest ground on Anglesey may only be 722ft high but it’s a proper mountain, the quartzite summit is surrounded by cliffs which gives way to heather clad slopes, the views are absolutely staggering. The walk also visited North Stack, a ragged headland home to a redundant fog warning station built in 1861 to protect coastal shipping, and assist ships traveling between Dublin and Holyhead. We also visited South Stack the most westerly point of Anglesey, but never descended the 400 and something steps to the lighthouse as it was closed. Guarding the treacherous reefs offshore, a saviour of lives since it’s construction in 1809, the lighthouse is perched on a rocky island accessed by a bridge, an absolutely stunning location.

We parked at the Breakwater Country Park, as we exited the car the park the warden came to chat, he was really checking us out to make sure we were sufficiently equipped for a summit attempt of Holyhead Mountain, warning us of the dangers and advising us of the safest routes from the summit, advice we heeded.

A short walk from the parked car deposited us on the coast path, this we followed through a small field then onto heather clad slopes dropping steeply into the sea far below, the path was good the going easy. After passing a small arched roofed building the path leveled off before dropping to North Stack, you don’t have to descent to North Stack there is an alternative path but the boss insisted we descended, once at the white washed buildings we had to climb back to the main trod.

The ascent followed what looked like it had once been an old access track, as it was the coast path we continued climbing until under the summit cliffs of Holyhead Mountain. Right or wrongly we opted for a scramble to access the summit, steep, loose, hands on in places we slowly climbed to the summit to be greeted by a trig point, remains of a Roman watchtower and Iron Age hill fort and grand vistas to every point of the compass.

Talking about the compass we needed that to find a safe way down, once back on the coast path we wandered south passed a couple of radio masts and reed filled tarns, on reaching an old lookout station we stopped for refreshments. Refreshed we descended to a narrow tarmac lane above South Stack, no point descending to the lighthouse, it is open to the public but unfortunately not today.

The tarmac lane then guided us passed the RSPB centre and Goferydd, (a stunning holiday home to rent), we then joined a signed path that would guide us back. First over tarmac followed by a rough path through heather, at the radio masts we took a right fork, this trod guided us over the shoulder of Holyhead Mountain, through ancient field systems along an equally ancient lane. On reaching some houses we had a quick map check, this assured us straight on was correct, we soon found ourselves descending a set of steep steps between gorse bushes. Round the next bend we stepped onto the access road to the Breakwater Country Park just a few yards from the car park, between us and the parked car Caffir Parc (Park Cafeteria), it would be rude not to.

view route map.

home.

Ahead to the right of those cliffs lies a wonderful stretch of coastal path.

Porth Namarch seen from the coast path.

Snaking out into Holyhead Bay the Holyhead Breakwater at 1.7 miles long is the longest in Europe, constructed using seven million tonnes of limestone it took 28 years to build.

En route we passed this curious building with a curved roof, it was a magazine where gunpowder was stored for use in a nearby quarry.

The ferry entering Holyhead Bay makes the white washed buildings at North Stack look tiny.

Looking back to Holyhead with the breakwater dominating the view.

Grey across Gogarth Bay South Stack.

Breathtaking coastal scenery.

Sue on the final pull to the summit of Holyhead Mountain.

Wonderful views from the summit, Holyhead with the mainland washed by rain.

Holyhead Breakwater, if you're interested the obvious road was a tramway leading from the quarry now Breakwater Park to the end of the breakwater, carts carrying limestone would run on a raised platform, at the appropriate place the stone would be tipped to form the breakwater.

Sue adorns the summit.

From the summit of Holyhead Mountain views to an oddly named bay, Abraham's Bosom, I'd love to know the origins of the name as it isn't Welsh. Abraham's Bosom appears in the Bible, a place of comfort and waiting, get closer to the bay it is full of rocky reefs and jagged cliffs, not a comfy place to wait.

South Stack Cliffs guard the summit of Holyhead Mountain.

Stunning views back over an equally stunning coastline, the tiny island being North Stack.

Wonderful play of light.

The most westerly point on Anglesey, South Stack with it's lighthouse, a saviour of lives since 1809..

Sue strides out between the dry stone walls of an ancient lane.

Catching the whispers of a past way of life, field systems passed on the descent.

Today has been a day of adventures through a diverse landscape.

Below Holyhead Mountain, a huge quarry was worked for 27 years to provide the seven million tons of stone which was used in building the harbour breakwater, on completion in 1873, the quarry was taken over by the William Wild and Sons brickworks, which produced a heat resistant brick until 1973. In 1990 the site of the brick works and the surrounding quarry and land, amounting to 106 acres, became the Breakwater Country Park.

Lets end the walk sitting on a bench soaking up the view over Llyn Llwynog (Fox Lake).

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