There are a total of 23 mountains on the beautiful Welsh island, Isle of Anglesey. The tallest one is Holyhead Mountain, which sits at 220 metres (720 feet) above sea level. Barely tall enough to be counted as a mountain, however, views at the summit is something worth climbing for!
This lovely 5-mile walk takes you up the summit of Holyhead Mountain, passing one of the most famous lighthouses in Wales, South Stack Lighthouse. A beautiful lighthouse, built on an island, in 1809 to warn ships about the dangerous rocks below. Today, you can book a ticket and go inside it. Just prepared to walk down lots of steps to it!
The route is an easy walk, with a small climb to the summit of Holyhead Mountain. Good footwear is recommended as the path leading to the summit is a fairly steep, rocky path. The route goes along well-marked paths. However, please do keep an eye on your map, as there are lots of different paths, going off in all different directions, so it can be easy to get lost if you are not careful.
Following my route by the map isn’t very clear which way we went along the paths. My best advice is to follow both the map and my step-by-step instructions. To give you an understanding which way we walked, we went past South Stack lighthouse first, then up to the summit, then back round via North Stack Lighthouse. Basically clockwise on the first loop, past South Stack Lighthouse, and anti-clockwise over the summit, past North Stack Lighthouse.
Location
Holyhead Mountain is located in the town of Holyhead, on Holy Island, north-west of the Isle of Anglesey. This walk starts and finishes in South Stack, right on the west coast of Holyhead.
Parking
There are a few pay and display car parks at South Stack. At the time we visited it cost ÂŖ5 for a full day ticket. We paid to park in the large South Stack car park. However, if that one is full, the other two are just up the road.
Postcode to the car park we parked in: LL65 1YH
The Route
Follow this map, as you walk the route, you shouldnât get lost! Make sure your location is turned on and you should be able to see exactly where you are, on this map. Or if you prefer, download the GPX file and use it on your choice of route tracker.
1.
Starting at the South Stack car park, head north out of the car park, joining the Anglesey Coastal Path. Follow the path north, until you reach South Stack Lighthouse. For a better look at the lighthouse, take the steps down. Just remember you have to come back up again.
2.
From the lighthouse, take the path travelling north-east, onto the moorland, along the cliff tops, towards Holyhead Mountain. Make sure you keep a close eye on the map, to check you are on the correct path at all times. As you walk along this path, you will notice lots of different paths going off in different directions.
3.
Evenutally, you will reach a signpost with a path going off to your right-hand side, marked the summit. Take the path for a short distance. You will when notice a path going off steeply to your right-hand side, up Holyhead Mountain. Take the path up to the summit.
4.
From the summit, take the path heading north-east down towards Holyhead. After a short while, you will reach a wide path going off to your left-hand side. Take the footpath and follow it round to North Stack Lighthouse.
5.
From North Stack Lighthouse, head back up a short section of the path, until you see a footpath going off to your right-hand side. Take the footpath and follow it past the Telegraph Signal Station and back onto the same path you were on, before heading up Holyhead Mountain.
6.
Follow the footpath until you come to a folk in the path. Take the path folking off to your left-hand side, and follow it back to the Anglesey Coastal Path, where you started the walk from. Follow the coastal path back to the car park.
Enjoyed this walk and would like to do another walk on the Isle of Anglesey please check out some of my other walk guides:
For more information about the Isle of Anglesey, where to stay and eat, please check out their website:
https://www.visitanglesey.co.uk/en
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