Anglesey Circuit

And below you is the corkscrew

There’s rather a nice view from a grassy bank overlooking the sea near Aberffraw. To your left rise the mountains of Snowdonia and to your right stretches the sandy beach at Rhosneigr.

And below you is The Corkscrew. A steep downhill chicane through which a field of racing cars is pouring with their engines screaming. 

This is Anglesey Circuit, one of the most spectacularly sited racetracks in the world. Only Phillip Island, home of the Australian MotoGP bike GP, comes close.

This former army radar and missile training camp was redeveloped to the tune of £3.6 million in 2007. Now there are four different track configurations blending imaginative cambers, fast sections, hairpin bends and an almost unique 10% banked corner. 

No wonder Top Gear’s Richard Hammond thought it was a good spot for a bit of fun with a Bowler Nemesis and three helicopters.

At 12 metres across Anglesey Circuit is the widest British racetrack except Silverstone. Which makes for plenty of exciting overtaking in its car and bike races. It also hosts car sprints, stage rallies and non-competitive track days.

And it’s home to the Performance Driving Centre run by ex-racing car driver Richard Peacock. Who happens to be the man who designed the new circuit from scratch starting with a few doodles on a sheet of A3 paper.

He trains everyone from would-be racing drivers to those who just fancy a go in a track-prepared single seater or a supercar like a Lamborghini Gallardo.

“You need smooth movement of the accelerator and brakes to drive a car,” says Richard. “The worst thing you can do on a race circuit is just tear it up. It’s all about car placement and throttle application."

 “We don’t try to give driving lessons for the road but it can’t help but make participants better and safer drivers.”

Which may be a surprise to some. But then Anglesey Circuit challenges expectations, as well as your reactions, at every turn. Motorsport hasn’t spoiled this glorious coastal location – it’s enhanced it. Since the track was developed, two nearby Sites of Special Scientific Interest have been declared. So we’ve got rare birds, butterflies and hares as well as The Hamster