Set off from Beaumaris, but before doing so take a walk along the pier for uplifting views across the Menai Strait to Snowdonia. If you’re fan of piers – and who isn’t? – you’ll love to promenade, possibly with a parasol in hand, along this classic Victorian structure, opened in 1846 but rebuilt in 1872.

From Beaumaris take the A5/A4080 to the village of Newborough, where you turn left along a toll road for Newborough Beach, Traeth Llanddwyn, a vast stretch of sand at the mouth of the Menai Strait (there’s car parking at the beach).

It’s a doubly stirring spot. First, there are the sensational views and overwhelming sense of space as you gaze across to mainland Wales and the mountains of Snowdonia. There’s romance in the air too. Walk along the beach to Llanddwyn Island and St Dwynwen’s Church, named after Wales’s patron saint of lovers. The leisurely two hour walk is around 4 miles/6.4km there and back.

The island – a rocky promontory nearly a mile long and accessible on foot except during the highest of tides – was inhabited as early as the 5th century by Dwynwen. The remains of the church dedicated to her date from the 16th century. There’s also a much-photographed tower built in 1800 to warn off shipping, supplemented by a lighthouse erected in 1873.

If you’re a true romantic the best time to visit is on 25 January, St Dwynwen’s Day, Wales’s answer to Valentine’s Day.

Continue onwards on the A4080 through Malltraeth. Renowned wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe (1901–1979) chose to live here, inspired by the wonderful clear light and unspoilt expanse of the estuary and its birdlife. If you’re unlucky and don’t manage to spot any feathery creatures flying or feeding you can always go to Oriel Môn, Llangefni, where you’ll find a collection of Tunnicliffe’s exquisite work.

Stay on the A4080 for Aberffraw, turning left on the minor road in the village for the coast and Porth Cwyfan (there’s a lane near the beach with limited parking). From here, walk along the bay to St Cwyfan’s Church, possibly the most recognisable – and unusual – church in Anglesey, on a small island called Cribinau normally accessible by causeway (except at very high tide).

Popularly known as ‘The Church in the sea’, it’s a simple medieval place of worship encircled by a sea wall. It’s thought to be dedicated to St Kevin, an Irish saint.