Menai Bridge Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located on the island of Anglesey just off the north coast of Wales is the town of Menai Bridge.

The town is named after the Menai Suspension Bridge linking up to Bangor on the other side of the Menai Strait. The settlement predates the bridge and was formerly known as Porthaethwy, meaning 'harbour of the Daethwy tribe' in Welsh.

The first recorded reference to a ferry crossing in Anglesey dates back to 1292. This provided a means of transporting goods from Holyhead and other parts of Anglesey to mainland Britain - as far as London in some cases. The cattle, however, were made to swim across as the drovers took them to market.

In 1815 an Act of Parliament passed allowing for the construction of the Holyhead Road. Holyhead was, and still is, the principal ferry port between Dublin and Great Britain. The task of designing this road was given to Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. Construction began on his bridge in 1819. By 1824 the main stonework was completed, and by 1826 the bridge was finished and opened to the public. In doing so, stagecoach travel between Holyhead and London was cut down from around 36 hours before to around 9 hours after.

The Menai Suspension Bridge became the first of two bridges linking Anglesey with mainland Wales. The other came in 1850 with the opening of the Britannia Bridge courtesy of railway engineer Robert Stephenson. This made rail travel to Anglesey possible for the first time as the Chester and Holyhead Railway extended west of Bangor and through the island.

In 1858 a railway station opened at Menai Bridge, but was closed in the 1960s due to the Beeching Cuts - a controversial move to encourage road travel. These days, to reach the town from mainland Wales on public transport requires a bus from Bangor. It is worth noting that Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch is just two miles to the west, with some scenic views for those who like hiking. And if you read that last sentence in one breath, well done! Also if you like hiking, be warned that Menai Bridge to Beaumaris is NOT pedestrian-friendly as the pavements run out in places!

0:00 Menai Strait
0:26 Menai Strait (Menai Suspension Bridge in the distance)
1:01 Menai Strait
2:31 St George's Road
3:10 Water Street
4:35 Bridge Street
8:19 Uxbridge Square
8:33 High Street