Distance: 13.4 kilometres / 8.3 miles

Difficulty: Challenging

This walk boasts a real mixture of terrain and sights: from farmland and low coastal clifftops to moorland and the second-highest peak in the county. The summit of Bodafon Mountain offers spectacular panoramic views over the whole of Anglesey and beyond. Steep and potentially boggy in places.

Directions

Lligwy Beach to Brynrefail

Take the Coast Path northwards from the car park over low cliffs.

Pass a World War 2 shelter.

Go down some steps at Porth Y Môr and turn left inland following a yellow-signed way marker. Walk up the left-hand boundary of the field.

There are a few yellow way markers. Follow a track between trees along the field edge until reaching the lane.

Turn right along the lane, then turn left following the footpath sign. Head across the field to the right of the farmhouse. To the rear of the buildings go through a kissing gate into a newly planted woodland. Follow the right-hand field boundary through several fields and kissing-gates.

A third kissing-gate takes you down a gorse slope and past a pond. Climb over the stile into afield and head straight across, descending past a house and towards the caravan park. Pass over a stile onto the lane and entrance to the caravan park.

Turn right onto the main lane then right at the kissing-gate. Follow the caravan site boundary to a tarmac section of road. Follow this a short way then head up a grass path to the side of the new farm building and over another waymarked stile into a field.

Bear left and follow the field edge downhill, passing through another kissing-gate before reaching the main road. The Celtic Cross you can see is the Morris Brothers’ Monument. Take a short detour hereto climb the hill to view it. Turn left along the main road towards Brynrefail.

Brynrefail to Bodafon Mountain

Turn right at Brynrefail up the pedestrian slope and go up the road between the Chapel dated 1896 on the right, and the white building on the left.

Very shortly turn right onto a footpath up some steps through the hedge into a small field. After a stone stile, cross the fields and pass through a kissing-gate. Turn right up the hill keeping rocky outcrop on your right. Continue uphill crossing the field. At a stream bear right.

Follow the stream on your left uphill, and over a few ladder-stiles. Pass through an area of gorse, over a footbridge and through large field of boggy heathland heading towards Bodafon.

Leave the farmland by some houses at Ty’n Y Mynydd, via some private land. Go through the small gate (remembering to close it behind you) and over the ladder-stile, not through the adjacent gate.

Bodafon Mountain to Pilot Boat Inn

Re-trace your steps back to the junction in the paths at Ty’n Y Mynydd. When you emerge back out of the heather, turn lefthand head towards a farm. Go through the five-bar gate and look for the footpath signs to the right in amongst the hedges.

Follow the public footpath gently downhill through some farmland and several more gates (there may be geese, guineafowl and alpacas here).

After a ladder stile, bear right and keep to the right-hand side of the field heading over to the corner, admiring the view over Dulas Bay on the way. Proceed down the hill, following the stream, through more gates. After a steep section into a wooded valley, you will pass the ruined Nant Y Sebon. Bear right here and pass through a marshy, gorse area with a rocky outcrop high on your right.

Turn left, then right, following a stream. Left over the metal stile and follow the path around a house and static caravan Tyddyn Bach. Turn right onto a double-track drive, over a cattlegrid to emerge at the main road.

Cross with care, turn right and walk up the footway to the Pilot Boat Inn.

Pilot Boat Inn to Lligwy Beach

Go through the kissing-gate behind the Pilot Boat Inn and join the Coast Path. 

Follow the left-hand field boundary until joining a clear track. 

Pass a pond on the right then follow waymarked tree-lined path along the edge of the field before returning to the field. A kissing-gate takes you out onto a lane.

Opposite, take a track signposted Traeth Yr Ora.

Bear left and follow signposts around the holiday property to the Coast Path and the beach. Turn right along the coast.

At Porth Y Môr descend and cross the beach. Follow the Coast Path back to Lligwy.

Further information on this walk

History and interest

• Lligwy Beach is a wide, open, dune-backed, sandy bay suitable for windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing.
• The Quadrant Shelter was once used to help triangulate the impacts of shells when Lligwy Beach was used as a World War Two bombing range.
• The Morris Brothers’ Monument was erected in 1910to commemorate the work and lives of four scholarly 18th century local brothers. The Celtic cross is on land belonging to their former home, Pentre Eirianell.
• Yr Arwydd (The Signal) also known as Mynydd Bodafon, (Bodafon Mountain) is a craggy outcrop of rock, and the second highest point on the island of Anglesey at 178m.The mountain is important in the druidic and spiritual local traditions.

Wildlife

In 2000 a new plant, found nowhere else in the world, was discovered at Lligwy Beach: a cross between a giant and field horsetail. Named equisetum x robertsii, in memory of botanist, RH Roberts, who worked on Anglesey for many years. Bottle-nosed and common dolphins, and harbour porpoise can be seen off the coast.

The rocky, lavender-covered heathland around Bodafon Mountain is the perfect habitat for adders and common lizards.

Public transport

Brynrefail is on bus route No.62 which runs between Bangor and Amlwch.

Refreshments

• There is a seasonal café in the larger car park further south from your start.
• The Pilot Boat Inn serves food.
• Tyddyn Môn, a Learning Disability Wales Centre, has a pancake-based café.