Holyhead Mountain

Holyhead Mountain (Mynydd Twr in Welsh: from (pen)twr, meaning "tower") is the highest hill on Holy Island, Anglesey, and the highest in the county of Anglesey, north Wales. It lies about two miles west of the town of Holyhead, and slopes steeply down to the Irish Sea on two sides. There is a late Roman watchtower, called Caer y Tŵr (Tower Fortress) from which the Welsh name is derived on the east side of the hill. Holyhead Mountain also has an Iron Age Stone Circle settlement and the material for the Breakwater was quarried from the Mountain too. It is the first sight of land people have when travelling from Dublin to Holyhead.

Holyhead Mountain attracts many visitors, and it is also located close to South Stack lighthouse; many people come to see the variety of birds which nest along the cliff faces near South Stack.

Views from the summit are extensive, especially to the West where the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland can often be seen across the Irish Sea on clear days.

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Holyhead

Coordinates: 53°18′32″N 4°37′59″W / 53.309°N 4.633°W / 53.309; -4.633

Holyhead (ⁱ/ˈhɒlɪhɛd/ HOL-i-hed; Welsh: Caergybi [kɑːɨrˈɡəbi], "Cybi's fort") is the largest town in the county of Isle of Anglesey in Wales. It is also a community and a major Irish Sea port, serving Ireland.

Despite being the largest town in the county, with a population of 11,431 at the 2011 census, it is neither the county town nor actually on the island of Anglesey. Holyhead is located on Holy Island, which has a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. It was originally connected to Anglesey via Four Mile Bridge, so called because the bridge was four miles (6 km) from Holyhead on the old turnpike Road. In the mid 19th century, Lord Stanley, a local philanthropist, funded the building of a larger causeway, known locally as "The Cobb", it now carries the A5 and the railway line. The A55 dual carriageway runs parallel to the Cobb on a modern causeway.

Prehistoric and Roman history

The town centre is built around St. Cybi's Church, which is built inside one of Europe's few three-walled Roman forts (the fourth boundary being the sea, which used to come up to the fort). The Romans also built a watchtower on the top of Holyhead Mountain inside Mynydd y Twr, a prehistoric hillfort. Settlements in the area date from prehistoric times, with circular huts, burial chambers and standing stones featuring in the highest concentration in Britain. The current lighthouse is on South Stack on the other side of Holyhead Mountain and is open to the public.