The Great Wall of Holyhead
Holyhead Breakwater — the longest in the UK — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Holyhead Breakwater is the longest in the United Kingdom — 1.7 miles (2.7km) of dressed stone striding into the Irish Sea to shelter what was once a harbour of refuge for the age of sail. Construction began in 1847 and took 26 years, employing around 1,300 men and consuming more than seven million tonnes of stone quarried from Holyhead Mountain above. The Prince of Wales opened it in August 1873; a century and a half of storms later, it still does its job unmoved.
Walking It
The breakwater is open to walkers and is one of the strangest, finest strolls in Wales — dead level, sea on both sides, with the harbour traffic inside, open water out, and the little lighthouse at the far end essentially unchanged since it was built. Views take in the mountain, the port and — on the right day — Ireland and the Isle of Man on the horizon. It’s exposed: pick your weather, hold your hat, and allow a couple of hours for the full out-and-back (about 3.5 miles).
Around the Base
Breakwater Country Park, Holyhead — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
The quarry that fed the breakwater is now Breakwater Country Park — 106 acres of trails, wildlife and industrial archaeology at the mountain’s foot, with a café and parking that make it the natural start point. From here the coastal path climbs towards North Stack and on to South Stack — breakwater in the morning, cliffs in the afternoon is the classic Holyhead double.
Explore Wales & the Borderlands
