North Anglesey harbour
Cemaes
A harbour village with two sandy beaches and a coast rich in wildlife and industrial remains.
- Best for
- Harbour time, beaches and dramatic coastal walking
- Give it
- A harbour stroll, local history and a meal
- Don't miss
- The blue tiles and Arabic-style patterns inside St Padrig's Church
The Fox verdict
A sheltered harbour with a wild coastal edge
Cemaes pairs a working quay and two sandy beaches with historic local pubs and one of the most demanding stretches of the Anglesey Coastal Path.
Come for a village shaped around its natural harbour, then choose between the sea wall, beach time, local food and the eastward coast. That coastal stretch links the St Patrick story at Llanbadrig with ruined porcelain and brick works, a coronation watchtower and cliff wildlife.
Where to go
Places in Cemaes
Every place below is checked against a published source, listed with what it is and how long to give it.
Local signatures
3 placesY Wygyr Fish and Chips
An award-winning fish and chip shop with an eat-in restaurant, also serving pies and burgers.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 60 minutes
- Locality
- Cemaes
Cemaes Heritage Centre
A heritage exhibition spanning Llanbadrig parish from Stone Age nomads to its maritime and industrial past, with local-story portraits, landscape-inspired art and its on-site Caffi Banc serving cakes and snacks.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 60 minutes
- Locality
- Cemaes
Cemaes Bay Circular Walk
A circular walk from Cemaes that uses the Wales Coast Path, with a challenging clifftop section and the chance to see cliff birds and offshore seals or porpoises.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 3 hours
- Locality
- from the village
- Access
- The coastal section is challenging, with steep ascents and descents.
Food & drink
2 placesThe Stag Inn
A High Street pub with a fireplace, pool table, beer garden and food service.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 90 minutes
- Locality
- High Street
- Access
- Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the bar area; water bowls and treats are available.
Ye Olde Vigour Inn
A High Street pub whose lounge retains a rare 1960s refit.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 75 minutes
- Locality
- High Street
History & heritage
2 placesSt Padrig's Church, Llanbadrig
A Grade II* church reputedly founded after St Patrick's shipwreck in AD 440, with a medieval fabric and an 1884 interior of blue tiles, glazed windows and Arabic-style geometric and floral patterns.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 45 minutes
- Locality
- Llanbadrig
- Access
- The National Churches Trust lists the church as dog friendly.
Porth Wen Brickworks
View the ruined bottle kilns of Porth Wen Brickworks from the public coast path above the site. The works were decommissioned by 1949 and stand on private land, with no public entry to the ruins.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 90 minutes
- Locality
- Porth Wen, east along the coast
Things to do
1 placeCemaes Bay Beaches
Two golden-sand beaches beside the sheltered natural harbour, with the harbour sea wall used for strolling and sitting.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: allow around 90 minutes
- Locality
- Cemaes Bay
No places match this filter. Choose All places to reset the list.
Three ways to explore Cemaes
Signature outings
Visit the heritage centre
Explore Cemaes and Llanbadrig parish history at the village heritage centre, with its local-story portraits and landscape-inspired art.
Look for the Ichthus stone
At the back of St Padrig's, look for the Ichthus stone, uncovered during the 1884 restoration and carved with Christian symbols of a fish and palm tree.
See the bottle kilns
Follow the public footpath above Porth Wen toward the headland for views of the brickworks and the surrounding coastal geology. The ruins themselves have no public access.
The village story
Cemaes: Harbour, Historic Pubs and the Wild Coast
Cemaes has a harbour and two sandy beaches, with challenging coastal walking east of the village.
Pubs with stories
The Stag Inn on the High Street is Wales' most northerly pub, with a fireplace, pool table, beer garden and food service. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the bar area, with water bowls and treats available.
On the High Street, Ye Olde Vigour Inn has a lounge bar with a rare surviving 1960s refit. Before the Catholic church opened in 1965, services were held in that lounge.
Food beside the harbour
Y Wygyr serves award-winning fish and chips in its eat-in restaurant. At Cemaes Heritage Centre, Caffi Banc serves cakes and snacks.
Cemaes has a sheltered harbour and two beaches, Traeth Mawr and Traeth Bach. The harbour provides moorings for commercial and leisure craft, and the village is a starting point for walks along the north Anglesey coast.
The coast path east
The coast path east of Cemaes is steep and exposed in places. At Porth Wen, the ruined brickworks are visible from the public footpath above. The works stand on private land, with no public access to the ruins. Choughs and peregrines nest on the cliffs, while seals and porpoises may be seen offshore.
The coast path also passes St Padrig's Church at Llanbadrig. Tradition links the church to St Patrick's shipwreck around AD 440. The present building has medieval fabric, while its 1884 restoration brought blue tiles and geometric stained glass. Henry Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley, paid for the work; his conversion to Islam influenced the designs.
Stay around Anglesey
Make a longer stay of it
Travel Fox holiday homes around Anglesey, linked directly to their property pages.
For homeowners
Own a holiday home near Cemaes?
We manage holiday lets across Anglesey from 12% commission, charged after cleaning costs, with no lock-in. A co-founder visits before you decide.
Holiday let management in Anglesey →
A guide with a point of view
Written from research. Edited for real journeys.
Use the Official site links for live practical details, then use this guide for context, ideas and room to explore.
Sources
Every place on this page is checked against a published source. Each entry links the record we used and names who publishes it.
- The Stag Inn — staginncemaesbay.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Ye Olde Vigour Inn — cemaes.wales other published source
- Y Wygyr Fish and Chips — ratings.food.gov.uk statutory register or public authority
- Cemaes Heritage Centre — cemaesheritagecentre.org operator, sector body or destination organisation
- St Padrig's Church, Llanbadrig — cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net other published source
- Cemaes Bay Circular Walk — visitanglesey.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Porth Wen Brickworks — visitanglesey.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Cemaes Bay Beaches — cemaes.wales operator, sector body or destination organisation