Hafen
Holyhead (Wales)

Enjoy an unforgettable visit to Anglesey Spirit, the esteemed home of the oldest distillery company in Wales.

The journey begins with a captivating exploration of the rich history of Anglesey Spirit, tracing its development over the years and highlighting the unique Welsh influences that have shaped their exceptional liqueurs. As part of this immersive experience, enjoy three complimentary liqueur tastings, each thoughtfully paired with exquisite locally made Welsh fudge.

The adventure continues with a hands-on, personalised cocktail-making masterclass. Under the expert guidance of skilled mixologists, craft your very own 'Silver Sea' cocktail using Anglesey Spirit's renowned liquors. This is not just a class, but an opportunity to create and taste a piece of Welsh tradition in a glass.

Don't miss this unique experience that combines history, craftsmanship, and the art of mixology in one of Wales’s most iconic distilleries.

Leaving Holyhead, travel across Anglesey to Beaumaris (meaning beautiful marsh), a delightful seaside town and home to Beaumaris Castle, the last of Edward I’s ‘Iron Ring’ of Castles constructed in Wales.

Beaumaris Castle

Beaumaris Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a great unfinished masterpiece. Construction of this immense fortress began in 1295 and its design is architecturally almost perfect. Its symmetrical concentric walls within walls had four robust lines of formidable defences including a water filled moat with its own dock.

By the 1320 s conflict with Scotland led to a shortage of money resulting in the construction of Beaumaris Castle coming to a halt and it never reaching its intended grandeur.

Walk with your guide in this vast medieval castle and hear about Edward I’s military architect, James of St George and his attempt at a magnificent, ‘Castle to end all Castles’.

Welsh Cream Tea

Enjoy refreshments at a local hotel before a gentle walk in Beaumaris with your guide. This delightful seaside town boasts a Victorian pier, an eclectic mix of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture and fabulous views of the Menai Strait and Snowdonia.

Enjoy a stroll in the charming streets with colourful, picturesque cottages before the return journey to Holyhead.

Travel to Beaumaris, a captivating seaside town, with its mix of medieval, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture and discover its historic landmarks.  

Visit the Beaumaris Gaol, a Victorian prison constructed almost completely from Welsh slate and in an excellent state of preservation. Your visit to Beaumaris Gaol will give a fascinating insight into life within the prison walls in the 19^th century. Inside the Gaol find many original features including a tread wheel used as one of the many punishments inflicted upon inmates.

Continue to the Beaumaris Courthouse which was built in 1614 and is one of the oldest courthouses in Britain.

Take the scenic journey across Anglesey and the Menai Strait to Caernarfon with its famous castle dating from 1283. Standing at the mouth of the Seiont River, the fortress with its unique polygonal towers, intimidating battlements and color-banded masonry dominates the walled town.

Explore the historic and imposing Caernarfon Castle, built in 1283 by King Edward I to demonstrate his dominance over the native population of northern Wales. Visit inside the once impregnable castle and explore its magnificent ruins with your guide. Afterwards, enjoy free time to explore further, or visit the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum, housed in two of the castle’s towers.

Discover the Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn in Welsh) with its unparalleled beauty and vivid history, bestowed from ancestral Celtic, Roman, Viking and Medieval settlers.

Oriel Ynys Môn (Gallery of Anglesey)

Drive to Llangefni at the centre of the island to visit Oriel Ynys Môn (Gallery of Anglesey). At Oriel Ynys Môn learn about Anglesey’s cultural history, the industries that thrived here, the rich archaeological finds and the tragic shipwrecks off the island’s rugged coast. See exhibitions displaying work from local artists and ‘borrowed’ collections from renowned organisations.

Llanfair PG

Travelling south, arrive in the town with the famous very long name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogog- ogoch, meaning, ‘the Church of St Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio near a red cave’. The name is usually shortened to Llanfair PG by the locals. Enjoy a short stop and take the opportunity to photograph the world’s longest railway station sign.

Menai Bridge

Head to the Menai Strait, where you can see Thomas Telford’s suspension bridge (Menai Bridge), opened in 1826, the world’s first iron suspension bridge, and Robert Stevenson’s Britannia Bridge, opened in 1850, originally for the Chester – Holyhead Railway line, not vehicular travel.

Enjoy a scenic return journey to Holyhead via the west coast of Anglesey renowned for its beautiful beaches.

This activity is conducted by Silversea Expedition Team and is depending on the weather and the sea condition of the day. More specific information and logistics will be communicated by the Expedition Team on board.  

Take this opportunity to travel on the world-famous Ffestiniog Railway, aboard a unique steam-hauled narrow-gauge train.

Leaving Holyhead by road, cross the island of Anglesey with its landscapes of meadows, farmland and low-lying hills, and over the Menai Strait, via Caernarfon and south to Porthmadog, an attractive busy little town standing on an inlet of Tremadoc Bay. With fine views across the bay to the mountains of Snowdonia, Porthmadog was once a flourishing port, its prosperity built on the slate trade.

Here begin your journey on the Ffestiniog Railway, the oldest of the Welsh narrow-gauge railways, founded in 1832 to bring slate from the quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for shipment. The railway closed in 1964 but has since been restored and is now one of the most popular attractions of North Wales. A steam-hauled narrow-gauge train runs along a 21 kilometre (13.5 mile) mainline in miniature from the coastline at Porthmadog into the mountains at Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Your memorable journey climbs 213 metres (700 feet) through tranquil pastures and magnificent forests, past lakes and waterfalls, round horseshoe bends and even in a complete spiral. Every twist and turn brings magnificent vistas.

Upon arrival in Blaenau, re-board your coach and travel via the beautiful Snowdonia National Park, to Betws-y-Coed, a scenic village located at the meeting point of the Llugwy and Conwy Rivers and popular with hill walkers and adventure seekers. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before you enjoy time at leisure to explore this charming village and browse in the shops.

Relax on the return journey to Holyhead

Explore North Wales and delve into The British Royal Family’s connection to Wales.

Joruney via the south  of the Isle of Anglesey where Prince William (heir to the throne) and Kate Middleton lived during the time Prince William served as an RAF Valley Search and Rescue pilot.

Then to mainland Wales and one of four UNESO World Heritage sites in Wales; The Castles & Town Walks of King Edward, your destination is Caernarfon Castle. The investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), took place in Caernarfon Castle on 1^st  July 1969. The ceremony formally presented the title of Prince of Wales to the 20-year-old Charles, eldest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The Prince of Wales, title was  reserved exclusively for the heir apparent to the British throne. It dates from 1301, when King Edward I, after his conquest of Wales and execution (1283) of Dafydd Ap Gruffydd, the last native prince of Wales, gave his title to his son, the future Edward II. William, Prince of Wales since 2022, has no plans for an investiture following controversy in Wales regarding the title.

Leaving Caernarfon Castle, venture to Plas Dinas Country House, the ancestral home of the Armstrong-Jones family where Lord Snowdon and HRH Princess Margaret lived in the 1960s. This historic  Grade II country house is set in 15 acres of beautiful scenery with an award-wining restaurant where an exquisite afternoon tea will be served. Plas Dinas still retains many family portraits, memorabilia and original furniture from the era of Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret.

The country house dates from the mid-seventeenth century but with extensive Victorian addition. It came into the possession of the Armstrong-Jones family in the nineteenth century through marriage. In 1899 Sir Robert Jones, who subsequently altered his name to Armstrong-Jones, had a son named Ronald. The family was, at the time, living in the London area and retained Plas Dinas as their country home. Ronald Armstrong-Jones married Anne, and the marriage produced a son, Anthony, who in 1961 married HRH Princess Margaret, the late Queen Elizibeth II’s sister.

Lord Snowdon (Anthony), suffered a major attack of polio in his youth but built a reputation for photography and has portrayed many famous people in his career, including members of the current House of Windsor. In 1963, he was appointed to the post of Constable of Caernarfon Castle and when the young Prince Charles became Prince of Wales, he was largely responsible for organising the investiture ceremony in the castle. Princess Margaret regularly spent weekends at Plas Dinas during this period in their marriage.

Bid goodbye to this royal residence to return to Holyhead.