Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn) is an island county off the north-west coast of Wales. It covers 275 square miles (712 km2), had a population of 68,878 at the 2021 census, and is run by the Isle of Anglesey County Council from Llangefni.
Holyhead is the largest town and the ferry port for Dublin. Anglesey has the second highest share of Welsh speakers of any Welsh county, at 55.8%.
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Welsh name | Ynys Môn |
| Area | 275 sq mi (712 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 68,878 |
| Density | 97 people per km2 (251 per sq mi) |
| Welsh speakers | 55.8% (2021 census) |
| Largest town | Holyhead (Caergybi) |
| Administrative centre | Llangefni |
| Highest point | Holyhead Mountain, 220 m (720 ft) |
| Council | Isle of Anglesey County Council |
Towns and Villages in Anglesey
The county has 141 named towns, villages and hamlets, listed here alphabetically from Aberffraw to Y Fali. Holyhead, Llangefni, Amlwch, Menai Bridge and Beaumaris are the main towns; almost everything else is a village or a farming hamlet of a few hundred people.
- Aberffraw
- Amlwch
- Bachau
- Beaumaris
- Benllech
- Bethel
- Betws
- Bodedern
- Bodewryd
- Bodffordd
- Bodorgan
- Bryn Du
- Bryngwran
- Brynrefail
- Brynsiencyn
- Brynteg
- Bull Bay
- Burwen
- Bwlch
- Cae’r-geiliog
- Caim
- Capel Coch
- Capel Gwyn
- Capel Mawr
- Capel Parc
- Carmel
- Carreglefn
- Ceidio
- Ceint
- Cemaes Bay
- Cerrigceinwen
- Coedana
- Dothan
- Dulas
- Dwyran
- Elim
- Four Mile Bridge
- Gadfa
- Gaerwen
- Glan Gors
- Glan-yr-afon
- Gwalchmai
- Gwredog
- Hermon
- Holyhead
- Llanallgo
- Llanbabo
- Llanbadrig
- Llanbedrgoch
- Llanddeusant
- Llanddona
- Llanddyfnan
- Llandegfan
- Llandyfrydog
- Llanedwen
- Llaneilian
- Llanerchymedd
- Llanfachraeth
- Llanfaelog
- Llanfaes
- Llanfaethlu
- Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy
- Llanfairpwllgwyngyll
- Llanfairyneubwll
- Llanfechell
- Llanfflewyn
- Llanfihangel yn Nhowyn
- Llanfihangel-ty’n-Sylwy
- Llanfugail
- Llanfwrog
- Llangadwaladr
- Llangaffo
- Llangefni
- Llangoed
- Llangristiolus
- Llangwyllog
- Llanidan
- Llanrhuddlad
- Llanrhwydrys
- Llanrhyddlad
- Llansadwrn
- Llantrisant
- Llanynghenedl
- Llechcynfarwy
- Llynfaes
- Maenaddwyn
- Malltraeth
- Marianglas
- Menai Bridge
- Moelfre
- Mona
- Mynydd Mechell
- Nebo
- Newborough
- Paradwys
- Parciau
- Pen-Iôn
- Pen-Llyn
- Pen-Lôn
- Pen-y-garnedd
- Pencarnisiog
- Pengorffwysfa
- Penhwnllys
- Peniel
- Penmon
- Penmynydd
- Penrhos-Lligwy
- Penrhosfeilw
- Pentraeth
- Pentre Berw
- Pentrefelin
- Penygraigwen
- Penysarn
- Porth Swtan
- Pwll Fanogl
- Red Wharf Bay
- Rhos Llaniestyn
- Rhos-meirch
- Rhos-y-bol
- Rhoscefnhir
- Rhoscolyn
- Rhosgoch
- Rhosneigr
- Rhostrehwfa
- Rhyd-wyn
- Sling
- Soar
- Star
- Stryd-y-Facsen
- Talwrn
- Trearddur Bay
- Trefdraeth
- Trefor
- Tregaean
- Tregele
- Ty Croes
- Tyn-y-Gongl
- Tywyn Fferam
- Valley
- Wern y Wylan
- Y Fali
Geography
Anglesey is separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait, a tidal channel about 14 miles long and at its narrowest around 200 metres wide. Gwynedd lies across the strait to the south-east; the Irish Sea surrounds the county on every other side.
The main island makes up about 94% of the county. Holy Island, joined by the Four Mile Bridge and the Stanley Embankment, carries Holyhead and the county’s highest ground at Holyhead Mountain. Smaller islands include Puffin Island, Llanddwyn and The Skerries.
Inland the island is low and flat, rarely rising above 100 metres, which is why it was called Môn Mam Cymru, “Anglesey the mother of Wales”, for its grain harvests. Most of the coast is a designated National Landscape, formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 68,878 residents, a small fall on 2011. Density works out at about 97 people per square kilometre, low by Welsh standards but far higher than Gwynedd next door.
Welsh is the everyday language of most communities. At the 2021 census 55.8% of residents aged three and over could speak it, behind only Gwynedd at 64.4%. The share fell over the decade, and language planning is a standing item for the county council.
Holyhead is the biggest settlement with roughly 11,500 people, followed by Llangefni, Amlwch, Menai Bridge and Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.
Economy and Local Life
Farming, tourism and the port carry the county. Beef, sheep and dairy dominate the interior, while the coast lives on summer visitors to Trearddur Bay, Rhosneigr, Benllech and Beaumaris.
Holyhead handles freight and passenger sailings to Dublin and is one of the busiest ferry ports on the Irish Sea. RAF Valley trains fast-jet pilots and shares its runways with Anglesey Airport. The Wylfa nuclear station on the north coast stopped generating in 2015 and is being decommissioned; the site has been under discussion for new nuclear build ever since.
Llangefni holds the county’s livestock market and council offices. Anglesey Sea Salt at Brynsiencyn and the Anglesey Show at Gwalchmai are among the better-known local names.
History
Anglesey was the last stronghold of the druids in Britain; Roman forces under Suetonius Paulinus attacked the island in AD 60. Later it was the granary and power base of the princes of Gwynedd, whose court at Aberffraw governed much of north Wales.
Edward I built Beaumaris Castle in 1295 as the last and most technically complete of his Welsh castles. It is part of the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site. Thomas Telford’s Menai Suspension Bridge opened in 1826 and Robert Stephenson’s Britannia Bridge followed in 1850, ending the island’s isolation.
Getting There
The A55 expressway crosses the Britannia Bridge and runs the length of the island to Holyhead. The A5, Telford’s old London to Holyhead road, follows a parallel route through Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and Gwalchmai.
Holyhead is the western terminus of the North Wales Coast Line, with direct trains to Chester, Crewe and London Euston. Other stations serve Valley, Rhosneigr, Ty Croes, Bodorgan and Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. Anglesey Airport at Valley has limited scheduled flights; Liverpool and Manchester are the nearest full-service airports.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Anglesey?
68,878 at the 2021 census, across an area of 275 square miles.
What is the largest town on Anglesey?
Holyhead, with about 11,500 people. Llangefni, the administrative centre, is next.
How many villages are there on Anglesey?
This directory lists 141 named towns, villages and hamlets across the county.
How many people on Anglesey speak Welsh?
55.8% of residents aged three and over, according to the 2021 census. Only Gwynedd is higher.
How do you get to Anglesey?
By road over the Britannia Bridge on the A55 or the Menai Suspension Bridge on the A5, and by train on the North Wales Coast Line to Holyhead.