Abermenai Point

Abermenai Point is a sandy headland on the south-east edge of Anglesey where the Menai Strait begins. It marks the island’s southern tip and the northern side of the strait’s western entrance. The land is made of sand dunes that stretch from Newborough Warren, with no road reaching the point itself. The nearest public road is the A4080 at Newborough, where a bus also runs. Ordnance Survey maps warn that the public footpath can be dangerous when the tide is high. The point once held one of Wales’s earliest ferry routes, taking passengers to the site now occupied by Fort Belan. Records from the late 11th century mention Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd, paying a ferryman to work there. After his death in 1137, the income from Abermenai’s port passed to his wife Angharad ferch Owain. Daniel Defoe crossed by ferry in 1725 on his way to Holyhead. The service ended in the mid-19th century as bridges made travel easier. Visitors walk along the dunes to reach the point, where the strait’s currents meet the open sea. Views stretch across to Caernarfon Castle on the mainland and along the Menai Strait. The wide sands and shifting light make it a quiet place for watching birds and listening to the waves. On clear days the mountains of Eryri appear across the water. The absence of modern buildings keeps the scene close to its historic past.