Begin your day at Coed Cyrnol Local Nature Reserve on the western side of Menai Bridge (there’s a car park close to the reserve’s entrance). This area of woodland bordering the Menai Strait is made up of Scots pine, sycamore, oak, holly, birch and yew.

It’s home to an equally diverse array of birdlife. Depending on the time of year, you might spot treecreepers, tawny owls, great spotted woodpeckers, chiff chaffs and crossbills. At the far side of the woods, a causeway leads to Church Island, a great place to see the oystercatchers, graylag geese and herons that nest on nearby Ynys Welltog, a tiny island in the Strait.

Follow the A5/A4080 to Brynsiencyn, where you turn left following the sign to Anglesey Sea Zoo. This aquarium and marine conservation centre showcase the rich variety of sea life found in the waters around Britain, with over 40 tanks designed to mimic a selection of habitats.

You’ll see spider crabs and conger eels lurking in a sunken shipwreck, floating jellyfish and other invertebrates in the No Bone Zone and shoals of silvery sea bass darting through the kelp in the Big Fish Forest. You can also dip into the zoo’s conservation work at the Lobster Hatchery and see juvenile sea creatures before they are returned to the wild.

Lunch: Rockpool Café, Anglesey Sea Zoo, for paninis, pizzas and plenty of freshly baked cakes.

From the zoo, pick up the B4419/A4080 to Newborough. Turn left down Church Street in the centre of the village and continue for a mile or so towards the coast (via a toll road), where you’ll find Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve at the Menai Strait’s western mouth.

This unconventional mix of beach, conifer forest, dunes and marshland provides a habitat for a kaleidoscopic array of animal and plant life. In summer, the rolling dunes are scattered with colourful wildflowers, including rare orchids and marsh helleborines, attracting large numbers of insects and birds.

Newborough Forest, just opposite the dunes, is criss-crossed with walking trails and is one of the best places on Anglesey to spot the rare red squirrels which are steadily making a comeback on the island.

Finally, retrace your steps back to the main road and make the short hop to Malltraeth. As you go you’ll pass Malltraeth Marsh, a Site of Special Scientific Interest covering 675 acres/273ha of grassland, marsh, lakes and reedbeds, home to huge numbers of birds including herons, shelducks, pintails and wigeons.

Find out more about this unique habitat – which was a great source of inspiration of nature artist and Malltraeth resident Charles Tunnicliffe – at Cors Ddyga RSPB Centre near Llangefni (featured in our Feelgood Factor Central Anglesey tour).