North Wales Landscape Photography guide to Anglesey, Beaumaris to Benllech



Posted: Wednesday, October 24, 2007

by
Landscape photography UK.com

Beaumaris is one of the most attractive towns on Anglesey, its location and castle ensuring its appeal to the landscape photographer. It’s situated directly across the Menai straits from Snowdonia National Park, whose impressive mountains provide a stunning backdrop. It’s also an excellent location for sunrise photographs as the sun rises directly behind the Snowdonia Mountains and creates stunning reflections in the Menai Straits. Beaumaris pier itself provides a good vantage point from which to capture these stunning scenes. In the Menai Straits themselves yachts and boats are frequently moored and can provide a good subject or alternatively some added foreground interest. Alongside the pier is a natural harbour, the main area for the numerous yachts and boats that visit Beaumaris, it’s another interesting possibility for the landscape photographer. Within the town itself is an impressive and particularly photogenic 13th century castle. A visit inside the castle can provide good views across the Menai Straits and towards the Snowdonia mountains, also a short distance along the coastal path behind the town is a small hill which provides the ideal vantage point for a wide angle photograph of the town, the castle and the surrounding landscape.

From Beaumaris to Penmon point the coastal path is flat all the way, running directly alongside the Menai Straits - be aware that at high tide much of the path is actually underwater. This section of the path provides a constant view of the Menai Straits, the Snowdonia Mountains and at a distance, the imposing Great Orme. Here though the beaches are not particularly photogenic, being mainly flat and indistinct. Personally, if I was to choose one particular photography location along this section of the coastal path I would go directly to Penmon point, easily accessible by car from Beaumaris. Here options for the landscape photographer include Penmon priory, Penmon point lighthouse and excellent views towards Puffin Island, the distant Great Orme and the ever-present Snowdonia mountains. Interesting rock formations can also be found a short distance along the shoreline from the lighthouse, offering the possibility for some imaginative macro shots.

Heading from Penmon point towards Red Wharf Bay the coastal path starts to climb above the coastline, providing the photographer with a new viewpoint of the lighthouse, Puffin Island and the Great Orme. Along this section of the path though the best location for a good landscape photograph has to be Red Wharf Bay, again accessible by car. It is a large open bay, appearing much like an estuary, which during low tide is a mass of golden sand – the of which character changes dramatically with the incoming tide. Personally, I think the best time for photography here is at low tide. The small village itself is directly alongside the bay and has some character. In particular the small harbour, with its usual collection of yachts, provides the landscape photographer with excellent opportunities. Continuing along the coastal path towards Benllech now involves a walk along the beach, tide permitting. The beach between Red Wharf Bay and Benllech has golden sand and again provides opportunities, although it lacks any particularly strong features. Benllech itself is a large town, mainly located slightly away from the coastline, which although pleasant, doesn’t have any special interest for the photographer.

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