Sometimes you need to just get away from the noise, speed and hustle and bustle of the big city to a place where you can feel the Sun on your face, the wind in your hair and sand under your feet. A place to stop and think, to listen to the relaxing sound of waves breaking.

Where Is It?

Porth Trecastell is a small southwest-facing bay on Môn (the island of Anglesey) between Rhosneigr and Aberffraw. A small sand beach with a pair of rocky headlands on either side. Although it is listed with its Welsh name on the maps, the English name is Cable Bay. This is because it is where telegraph cables that spanned the Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean came ashore.

How Do I Get There?

If you are travelling from the UK mainland, then the A55 dual carriageway road across Anglesey is the fastest route. Turn off the main road towards Rhosneigr on the A4080, but don't turn towards the village itself, keep going for about another mile and it is on the right.

A much more interesting drive is to turn off the A55 after you've crossed the bridge over the Menai Strait at Llanfairpwll. The turning onto the A4080 can be easy to miss and it's signposted for Brynsiencyn. The road now follows round near the coast with views across the strait to the mainland on one side and of the green fields and pastoral land of Anglesey on the other. The road turns to the Northwest at Newborough and continues through the costal landscape with sand dunes, small rivers and lakes. Eventually as you drop down a small hill there it is, with a car park on your left. If you've been enjoying the drive and sailed straight past it, turn around when you get to the turn off for Rhosneigr and drive back a little slower.

What Can I Do When I'm There?

The beach itself is small but if the tide is out then a walk along the shoreline on either side of the bay will reveal rock pools under the small cliffs. If you're a bit more adventurous, then, when the conditions are right, the bay makes a nice surfing spot used by both boarders and kayakers. And if you're really brave then you might take a swim in the sea here (this being North Wales, the water temperature can be on the chilly side).

One thing you must do is walk out on the headland on the right-hand side of the bay and look at Barclodiad y Gawres. This is a burial chamber from around 3000 BC. The chamber is a cross shaped; similar to those found in the Boyne Valley in Ireland with carvings on the rocks inside the chamber. The chamber is gated and locked, but most of the central area can be seen from the gate. A key to the lock can be obtained from the coastal heritage office in nearby Aberffraw. The roof of the main area has been rebuilt with a concrete cap instead of the original stone and turf.

Often you just want to sit and relax. Sitting on the beach, at the headland or in your car, in the sunshine or rain depending on your mood. Porth Trecastell is a good place for this.