# Menai Bridge

Menai Bridge (officially in Welsh: Porthaethwy, but more usually Y Borth) is a town on the Isle of Anglesey over the Menai Straits from Bangor.

## Understand

Menai Bridge is a historical town, with the huge suspension bridge of the same name, and also home to the famous Cowley family.

## Get in

Drive over the bridge on the A5 from Bangor or taxi from the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch rail station.
Bus service 53, 56, 57, 58 Bangor - Beaumaris goes through Menai Bridge.

## See

* 53.219191-4.1622381 Menai Suspension Bridge. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826. Free.
* 53.223-4.17132 Church Island, Menai Bridge (park at car park on Mona Road & walk down path). An island in the Menai Strait reached by a causeway, this is a pleasant area for a walk with views of the Menai Strait bridges. It also contains the 15th century Church of St. Tysilio, a graveyard and war memorial. Free.
* 53.234991-4.1865673 Pili Palas (Butterfly Palace), Penmynydd Rd, Menai Bridge, ☏ +44 1248 712474, gloyn@pilipalas.co.uk. Hundreds of butterflies set in a tropical environment home to butterflies as large as six inches across the wing. Visitors are invited to sit, relax, take photographs, or explore as butterflies fly around them.

## Do

* 53.2449-4.13221 Dorothy Russell Quilt Artist, Allt Bryn Mel, ☏ +44 7941 102185, dot@dotrussell.co.uk. 10AM-4PM. Dorothy Russell is a Textile Artist offering private and group tuition in Patchwork and Quilting from beginner to advanced.
* 53.2237-4.16572 Menai Heritage, Thomas Telford Centre,Mona Road, Menai Bridge LL59 5EA, ☏ +44 1248 715046, info@menaiheritage.org.uk. See website for seasonal opening hours. Community project to celebrate two world famous bridges; the Menai Suspension Bridge, built by Thomas Telford, and the Britannia Bridge, built by Robert Stephenson. Museum has exhibits of artefacts and drawings, films, quizzes and qualified guides. £3.

## Eat

* 53.22247-4.1652091 $^{[deadlink]}$ The Bridge Inn (Tafarn y Bont), Telford Road, ☏ +44 1248 716888.
* 53.227239-4.1625372 Taste Of India, 27-29 High Street, ☏ +44 1248 715187.
* 53.226087-4.1629863 Sosban (and The Old Butchers), Trinity House, 1 High St., ☏ +44 1248 208131. no menu (updated May 2017)

## Sleep

* 53.238253-4.1441021 Chateau Rhianfa (towards Beaumaris), ☏ +44 1422 323200. Panoramic views over the Menai Straits, Château Rhianfa is set in a Grade II listed Victorian villa.
* 53.2449-4.13222 Coed y Berclas Holiday Cottage & Luxury Apartment (Coed y Berclas), Allt Bryn Mel (Between Menai Bridge and Beaumaris), ☏ +44 7941 102185, dot@berclas.co.uk. Breathtaking views over Menai Strait. Strictly non smoking site. No pets.
* 53.2367-4.16423 Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens and Cottages (Plas Cadnant), Cadnant Road, LL59 5NH, ☏ +44 1248 717007, cottage@plascadnant.co.uk. Winner, Best Place to Stay (Self Catering) Wales National Tourism Awards 2013. Five beautifully restored cottages set in secluded Hidden Gardens. Walled Garden; woodlands; waterfalls. Self-catering cottages with luxury accommodation. Choice of cottages from cosy Brewhouse sleeping 2 to grand Coach House (sleeps 12/13) with semi professional kitchen. £230+.
* 53.242-4.14144 Hafod Lon Holiday Apartment, 2 Plas Hafod Lon, Lon Ganol, Llandegfan, Ynys Mon, LL595UD, ☏ +44 7802437898, enquiries@hafodlon.co.uk. Self-contained, first-floor, two-bedroom apartment with its own private entrance. The apartment is situated in the village of Llandegfan between the town of Menai Bridge (1.5 miles) and the seaside town of Beaumaris (2 miles). The apartment occupies the top floor of a large private manor house, overlooking the Menai Strait towards the university town of Bangor and the Snowdonia Mountains beyond. The property is in a private spot down a private lane and has of parking space if you need somewhere secure to park your trailer, boat, canoes, etc.

## Go next

* Beaumaris