Pub, plates and coastal paths on Ynys Môn
A relaxed winter birdwatching break on Anglesey, built around early starts at South Stack, tide-timed stops at Malltraeth and a warm plate back at the Black Lion. No expert knowledge required — just layers, a flask and a reasonable excuse to be out before sunrise.
Before the A55 made Anglesey a blur of dual carriageway, the island was the last leg of a long, jolting haul to Holyhead. We trace the old coaching road — its milestones, mail carts and inn yards — and find that the best way to end the journey is still a table at the Black Lion.
A December stay at the Black Lion can be built around the quieter Welsh rituals of Christmas: an early plygain service, a Mari Lwyd visit, a bracing coastal walk and a table of local produce. Here is how to shape a festive weekend on Ynys Môn without a single marquee full of baubles.
The clocks have gone back, the light has thinned and half the country seems to have written off the coast until Easter. Here on Ynys Môn we rather like November — and the Black Lion's kitchen likes it even more. A look at what lands on the plate this month, plus a short wet-weather walk and a one-night stay to wrap round it.
Anglesey doesn’t need to be a weekend squeeze. A Tuesday-to-Thursday break gives you quieter lanes, softer pub lunches and coastal paths with room to breathe — especially with the Black Lion as your base.
Somebody has to stay sober, and that somebody deserves better than a lukewarm lemonade in a chipped glass. A practical guide to the low- and no-alcohol side of the bar, plus the order of play for a driver's day out on Ynys Môn.
Every Black Lion in Wales is carrying a little heraldry, a fair bit of guesswork and several hundred years of habit. A look at what the sign over the door is actually saying — and where to walk it off before the next pint.
Anglesey packs four thousand years of history into an afternoon's driving. Here are five ancient sites worth the detour, each with straightforward notes on parking, walking and getting yourself back to the Black Lion for lunch.
Anglesey gets properly dark in winter, and that is a gift. Here is how to build a weekend around it — the best viewpoints, the kit worth packing, when to go, and the pint waiting when the cold finally wins.
Half the battle of navigating Ynys Môn is getting your mouth around the signposts. A pocket pronunciation glossary, a few word-building blocks, and a short name-spotting trail that turns Welsh place names into a genuinely useful travel tool.
We packed the spaniel, the crate and a towel the size of a bath mat and gave the Black Lion a proper two-night test. Here is what the bar, the rooms and the nearby coast path are actually like with a dog in tow — plus the packing list nobody mentions.
A good pub menu should tell you where you are. At the Black Lion, the trail runs from the Menai Strait to island fields, salt pans and bakeries — here’s how to follow it, what to order, and where to taste more of Ynys Môn’s larder.
No car, no ferry, no fuss. Anglesey is perfectly doable by train, bus and boot — and a pub base makes it easier. Here’s how to plan a short car-free break around the Black Lion, with luggage-friendly walks and low-effort days out.
Sunday lunch tastes different when you have walked to it. Five short, specific coastal stretches within easy reach of the Black Lion, each timed to get you back at the table with salt in your hair and an appetite worth the drive.
Self-catering has its moments, but a pub with rooms does something a cottage key safe never will: it puts local knowledge, hot food and a dry place for your boots all under one roof. An honest look at why pub-and-stay suits Ynys Môn.
A tide-timed round walk from the Black Lion to a quiet Anglesey cove, with route notes, dog-friendly advice and a pub lunch waiting at the end. Time it right and the coast shows you a different face.
When the forecast turns dramatic, Anglesey doesn’t have to be a washout. This is our safe, sensible and thoroughly cosy guide to storm-watching from the Black Lion — sea air, sheltered lanes and a pint by the fire.