The Lighthouse
South Stack Lighthouse on its island off Holy Island — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
South Stack Lighthouse has guided ships past Holy Island’s cliffs for over 200 years, standing on its own islet (Ynys Lawd) connected to the mainland by a footbridge at the bottom of a famous descent — roughly 400 steps down the cliff face (and, memorably, 400 back up). Tickets for the lighthouse are bought on the day from the RSPB café by the car park; the tower, engine rooms and the crossing itself make one of the great visits in Wales. Even without descending, the clifftop viewpoints are unforgettable.
The RSPB Reserve & Ellin’s Tower
Ellin's Tower at the RSPB South Stack reserve — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
The surrounding cliffs are an RSPB reserve where up to 9,000 seabirds nest in season — guillemots and razorbills packing the ledges, puffins in smaller numbers, with choughs and peregrine falcons patrolling the updraughts. Ellin’s Tower, the little white castellated folly on the cliff edge, is the reserve’s watchpoint, equipped with binoculars, telescopes and live camera feeds from the nesting ledges. April to July is peak season; the RSPB visitor centre and café by the car park open year-round (toilets 10am–5pm daily). Dogs are welcome on the reserve and in Ellin’s Tower, but not the café.
Making a Day of It
The view from Holyhead Mountain — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
South Stack sits ten minutes’ drive from Holyhead, but the better arrivals are on foot: over the summit of Holyhead Mountain, or around the coastal path from Breakwater Country Park past North Stack — some of the finest cliff walking in Wales. Combine with Porth Dafarch or Trearddur Bay for an after-walk swim, and time your visit for late afternoon when the light works on the cliffs and the crowds thin. Sunset from the Ellin’s Tower path, with the lighthouse flashing below, is Anglesey’s best free show.
Explore Wales & the Borderlands
