Holyhead, Wales

Holyhead Wales looks like a very boring port....what am I missing about it???

Based on research before we go there at the end of May, you're missing the great castle fortresses (at least four of them), the mountains of Snowdonia National Park, and a chance to go to a town which has a name about 30 letters long. We've booked a tour with a local tour company, Busy Bus, which will take us to see most of these places.

Based on research before we go there at the end of May, you're missing the great castle fortresses (at least four of them), the mountains of Snowdonia National Park, and a chance to go to a town which has a name about 30 letters long. We've booked a tour with a local tour company, Busy Bus, which will take us to see most of these places.

The port of Holyhead which the OP mentions is on the island of Anglesey. The places of interest you mention are on the Welsh mainland.

Holyhead is a busy ferry port but the following link has a list of attractions:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186443-Activities-Holyhead_Island_of_Anglesey_North_Wales_Wales.html

Just to avoid anyone misunderstanding Ray's post, the island of Anglesey is only separated from mainland Wales by the Menai Strait, and there are two bridges

- the iconic suspension bridge built by Thos. Telford about 200 years ago

- and the Britannia Bridge, originally a box bridge built for the railway by George Stephenson but rebuilt as an arch bridge in the 1970's following a fire. Only the masonry towers remain from the original bridge, the re-modelled bridge carries road & rail.

The town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (usually shortened to Llanfair PG) is of interest only for the length of its name, which means "The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave".

Beaumaris castle is on Anglesey but on the opposite side of the island - others on the mainland are better examples & Conwy castle is probably easiest to reach by public transport.

Some trains from the port of Holyhead call at Conwy, though it's one of the few stations in the UK where trains only stop "on request" - when you board you have to inform the driver or guard that you want to get off there. For the journey back you stand on the platform & hold your hand out to flag down the train, just like flagging down a bus. Or there's a more frequent service from Holyhead which passes through Conwy but doesn't stop - you get off at the next stop (Llandudno Junction) which is a mile past Conwy & return by train in the opposite direction or by taxi (or bus??) or 20 minute walk.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

Caernarfon Castle is closer to Holyhead, but there's no train service. You'd have to take a train to Llanfair PG or Bangor, then a 15 - 20 minute taxi ride.

For a group tour, Busybus (mentioned by Joanandjoe) has an excellent reputation & put tours together specifically for cruise ships.

http://www.busybus.co.uk/wales-from-holyhead

They also offer similar tours for ships porting in Liverpool.

JB :)

Portmeirion is only an hour or so away, I think. It has some interest in itself, although followers of a certain cult TV show may be more attracted to the idea of going there.

I really liked Angelsey .... we spent a week there for a family wedding. We were in Beaumarais and we had rented a car, there is also a 'smallest buiding/house in Wales" there.

Very pretty, and very nice coast.

Angelsey was the ancient sacred Druid center for pre-Roman Britain.

Prince William and Kate lived there for some time.

We did a north Wales tour from Liverpool to Conwy with its castle built by Edward I (long-shanks).

Then we saw the amazing Snowdonia National Park. It was amazing.

We found Hollyhead a delight. The local tourist group had a bagpipe and drum band serenade our arrival and departure. It is possible to visit both Conwy and Caernarfon on 2 half day tours. The Island of Anglesey is beautiful.

Thanks all...it sounds so pretty!

I am posting this to provide any additional information for anyone cruising with a stop in Hollyhead, as we just had a stop there recently, and it is not a frequently visited port.

We cruised there on the Celebrity Silhouette in August of 2015. The Silhouette is a rather large ship, larger than the city is used to getting, and therefore we were tendered, as the city does not have a dock large or strong enough for such a big ship. (yet).

If you are tendered to the Hollyhead marina, you will find the area, quiet, nice, open and pleasant for walking from there to the city (the city may provide a free shuttle to take you to downtown). If you are tendered to, or docking to the ferry port (near the train station), this section of town is a little sketchier looking, though it does not appear dangerous.. just a little more "industrial", however if you are there the Celtic bridge, a footbridge, brings you right above the higway into the downtown area without having to do any major navigation.

The downtown area is quaint, with many shops (a surprising number of 2nd hand charity shops), antique shops, cafe's pubs, and what you would expect in a town. There is an old old church (St. Cybis) (sp?) which is beautiful to walk through, and has gravestones dating back to the 1700s. It is free, though they do have a donation box.

The town had several performers in the town square for the day, and that was good fun. We were approached by locals who were freindly and curious and just wanting to start up friendly conversations with tourists. They appeared to be happy that our ship was visiting in port, and glad to greet us.

We actually used our time in port to, primarily, visit the Hollyhead Launderette. An easy to find coin laundry just off the downtown. People think that is is odd that we used a day of our vacation to do laundry. It was a 2 week cruise and we only packed enough clothes for 1 week (luggage constraints) But it was a fund way to do a "normal thing" in town, have a pint or two at a nearby pub, while our laundry was in progress. If you don't trust the ships laundry , and Hollyhead is a stop for you mid cruise, I can recommend looking up the Hollyhead Launderette and using it. Coin op, friendly attendants, and close to downtown. (It is less than a mile from the Marina, and an easy walk if you are tendering there).

I have heard some say that there is not much in this town or it is dangerous to walk around .We found the opposite. Nice place!

"Downtown" and "dangerous". This is Wales we're talking about? I've never heard those words used to describe Holyhead before!

Based on research before we go there at the end of May, you're missing the great castle fortresses (at least four of them), the mountains of Snowdonia National Park, and a chance to go to a town which has a name about 30 letters long. We've booked a tour with a local tour company, Busy Bus, which will take us to see most of these places.

Yes, as noted above, there are some good options to consider in this area. It all depends on your time here, solving your logistics, etc. Below are some of my visual samples from being here.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 116,098 views for this posting.

In the area of northern Wales, here are some of my visual samples for what all is there to see and enjoy. Lots of very good options! Below are sheep in a coastal grazing area, Harlech Castle (built 1283-89) interiors, Snowdonia National Park bridge and mountains, a Park lake scene, a Wales village street-building scene of the Pont-y-Pair Hotel in the center of Betws-y-Coed and a part of the cute Portmeirion village with its Italianate-design architecture.:

Here is a visual related to the Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog narrow-guage railroad in northern Wales. The fictional story of Thomas the Tank Train is based on this railroad.:

Based on research before we go there at the end of May, you're missing the great castle fortresses (at least four of them), the mountains of Snowdonia National Park, and a chance to go to a town which has a name about 30 letters long. We've booked a tour with a local tour company, Busy Bus, which will take us to see most of these places.

You just need to make sure you understand Busy Bus policies. The Celebrity Silhouette June 9, 2015, sailing did not make port due to the weather and those who had booked a Busy Bus tour lost half of their money. They were only refunded 50%. There were some very upset passengers. Just make sure you are aware of their policies upfront.

Connie

Any more recent ideas for this port?? It does seem like weather could affect the stop there. is it worthwhile to book a shore excursion. Ideas welcome.

Any more recent ideas for this port?? It does seem like weather could affect the stop there. is it worthwhile to book a shore excursion. Ideas welcome.

Because Holyhead is indeed a little unreliable due to the weather, your best bet might be to plan something which doesn't involve up-front payments.

Consider taking the train to Conwy, just under an hour away - an attractive & historic coastal town with a magnificent castle. Approx. hourly, direct service, costs about £15 return.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Here's a useful thread on the subject

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2333663

JB :)

Does anyone who made it to Holyhead know if they have taxi tours at the dock?

We have been scheduled twice now & never made it I am hoping 3rd time lucky :D

Why does it seem the ships miss this port a lot but the ferry (Ulysses) seems to go regardless? Tenders can't handle it? We will be taking the ferry to Dublin in March so have been reading a bit about this area.

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Why does it seem the ships miss this port a lot but the ferry (Ulysses) seems to go regardless? Tenders can't handle it? We will be taking the ferry to Dublin in March so have been reading a bit about this area.

 

 

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Ships can dock there but the opening into the harbour could be tricky

The Irish sea can whip up a good gale ;)

I once spent 24hrs stuck on the Irish Sea on a ferry that was unable to dock due to a storm in the Irish Sea it was not pleasant.

Why does it seem the ships miss this port a lot but the ferry (Ulysses) seems to go regardless? Tenders can't handle it? We will be taking the ferry to Dublin in March so have been reading a bit about this area.

 

 

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I can drive my car up the alleyway behind my house.

And I can drive it over the Humber Bridge in a howling gale.

So how come truck drivers can't do the same thing with their artic's. ;)

BTW, cruise ships now port at Holyhead, using the former aluminium works pier. So in theory tenders are a thing of the past. Still unreliable because of wind & weather, but more reliable than it was.

JB :)

Based on research before we go there at the end of May, you're missing the great castle fortresses (at least four of them), the mountains of Snowdonia National Park, and a chance to go to a town which has a name about 30 letters long. We've booked a tour with a local tour company, Busy Bus, which will take us to see most of these places.

The port of Holyhead which the OP mentions is on the island of Anglesey. The places of interest you mention are on the Welsh mainland.

 

 

 

Holyhead is a busy ferry port but the following link has a list of attractions:

 

 

 

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186443-Activities-Holyhead_Island_of_Anglesey_North_Wales_Wales.html

I grew up on Anglesey and my parents still live there so I'm a frequent visitor.

Some of he places mentioned by Joanandjoe are actually on the island. Beaumaris Castle, and Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantersiliogogogoch are on the Island, Caernarfon and Conwy castles are on the mainland as, of course, is Snowdonia, although you can see it from Anglesey.

Don't forget this is where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lived before and just after they got married. It is a beautiful island. I am a little biased!

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I should have read all the replies before sticking my oar in! Apologies for repeating what others have ably said! [emoji51]

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Because Holyhead is indeed a little unreliable due to the weather, your best bet might be to plan something which doesn't involve up-front payments.

JB :)

I just emailed Busy Bus about the cancellation fee. Their reply: "our previous policy was a 50% refund. This has been replaced for the 2017 (and onwards) season. " This was from Adrian, Team Busy Bus. Their website also mentions 100% refund.

I did a ship's tour to Caernarfon Castle and it was surprisingly interesting! If you enjoy history, try Caernarfon or Conwy. It was awesome to be able to roam all over the castle walls. Totally a new experience for me and I loved it. I really enjoyed seeing a bit of Anglesey too. Such a beautiful place with green pastures and fluffy sheep. After the tour, I spent a lot of time out on deck listening to a young girl singing and watching how the buses made it down the narrow dock.

I'm probably not in the correct place, but couldn't find out where to go.

We want to go from the Liverpool cruise port to Holyhead to take the ferry. Having trouble with train timetables. One sailrail itinerary gets us to the ferry port 30 minutes before the ferry leaves, BUT the site for the ferry says we should check in 30 minutes prior to leaving. Sounds like pretty close timing. Has anyone done this trip, or know of a car/driver company or shuttle we could explore?

Thanks for all help!