Pentraeth Forest skirts its eastern edge and offers an excellent vantage point from which to admire the vast expanse of the bay (known as Traeth Coch in Welsh). From here it is easy to see why this has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Red squirrels can be seen in this forest which was their last refuge on Anglesey until recent re-introductions. Whilst the tide is out, get closer to the beach and you can find the coiled sandy casts of lugworms and evidence of various shellfish making this an ideal feeding ground for a variety of wading birds including curlew, oystercatcher, redshank, plovers, sandpipers and dunlin.

A host of other wildfowl can also regularly be found here including brent geese during the winter months. Evidence of otters can occasionally be found where the Afon Nodwydd enters the bay from Pentraeth. Castell Mawr rock, a huge tower of limestone on the bay’s northern shore has become a refuge for a variety of gulls, while Bwrdd Arthur, a limestone plateau to the east, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which is designated for its unique limestone flora including hoary rockrose and ivy broomrape.

Landscape

Once an important port, Red Wharf Bay lies on the east coast of Anglesey between the villages of Pentraeth and Benllech. The sandy beach stretches some 2.5 miles from Castell Mawr, a huge tower of limestone on the bay’s northern shore towards a limestone plateau called Bwrdd Arthur to the south.

Pentraeth Forest skirts the bay on its eastern edge. Having been planted on Mynydd Llwydiarth in the 1950’s, the forestry offers an excellent vantage point from which to admire the vast expanse of the bay, especially at low tide when some 10 square miles of sand become exposed.

Stroll quietly through the forest and you might hear a scrabble of claws and catch a glimpse of a red bushy tail disappearing behind a tree trunk, as this was, until recent re-introductions, the last refuge for Anglesey’s red squirrels. While the tide is out, get closer to the beach and you’ll realise why a variety of wading birds enjoy the area.

The coiled sandy casts of lugworms are evident as far as the eye can see in some places, and dimples in the sand are the only evidence of the various clams lurking beneath the sandy surface. The village situated on the western shore of the bay is also called Red Wharf Bay.

It is linked to Pentraeth via the Anglesey Coastal Path, and offers a convenient place to grab a bite to eat and enjoy the stunning views over the bay towards Pentraeth Forest and Bwrdd Arthur.