Anglesey
Holyhead Breakwater and Quarry
The longest breakwater in Britain, nearly a mile and a half of it, with a country park in the quarry that supplied the stone and coast path north to North Stack.
- Distance
- 3.7 mi / 6 km
- Time
- 2 hr
- Ascent
- 120 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
From the park, walk out along the breakwater and back, then take the coast path north towards North Stack and the quarry cliffs. Level on the breakwater, undulating on the path.
Worth knowing
- The breakwater took twenty-eight years to build and used seven million tons of stone from the quarry behind you.
- It is exposed and gets closed in heavy weather. Check before walking out.
- Puffins and razorbills on the cliffs north of the park in early summer.
What you’ll see
The breakwater and its lighthouse, quarry faces, seabirds, and Holyhead Mountain above.
Background
Built between 1845 and 1873 to shelter the Irish mail packets. It remains the longest breakwater in the United Kingdom.