Port of Holyhead

The Port of Holyhead stands on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales, where it links the Welsh coast to Ireland. The port spreads across Holy Island and Salt Island, with three harbours sheltered by the Holyhead Breakwater, the longest of its kind in the UK at 2.7 kilometres. More than two million passengers pass through each year on ferries to Dublin. Stena Line Ports Ltd runs the site, which also handles commercial traffic. The breakwater was completed in the 19th century and the New Harbour opened in 1880. Holyhead became the main crossing point in the early 19th century when Thomas Telford built a road from London. The Admiralty Pier and Arch were added in the 1820s, partly to welcome King George IV before his state visit to Ireland. Queen Victoria arrived in 1853 with Prince Albert and their sons, and the Prince of Wales later opened the New Harbour. During the First World War a naval base was set up here to fight U-boats. In 1939 the submarine HMS Thetis was brought to Holyhead after sinking in Liverpool Bay, and fourteen of its crew were buried locally. Visitors reach the port through the shared railway station served by trains from Chester and London. The walk from most platforms to ferry check-in takes less than two minutes. Motorists arrive via the A5 or A55, while pedestrians use the Celtic Gateway bridge from Holyhead town centre. The largest ferries use the 300-metre Admiralty Pier. Inside the port area the Inner, Outer and New Harbours lie behind the breakwater, offering views across the Irish Sea.