Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The Isle of Anglesey’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), has one of the most distinctive, attractive and varied landscapes in the British Isles.

The coastal zone of Anglesey was designated as an AONB in 1966 and was confirmed in 1967. It was designated in order to protect the aesthetic appeal and variety of the island’s coastal landscape and habitats from inappropriate development.

The AONB is predominantly a coastal designation, covering most of Anglesey’s 201 kilometre (125 miles)coastline but also encompasses Holyhead Mountain and Mynydd Bodafon. Substantial areas of other land protected by the AONB form the backdrop to the coast.

These protected habitats support a variety of wildlife such as Harbour Porpoises and Marsh Fritillaries.The AONB also takes in three sections of open, undeveloped coastline which have been designated as Heritage Coast. These non-statutory designations complement the AONB and cover approximately 50 kms (31 miles) of the coastline. The sections of Heritage Coast are:

 north Anglesey 28.6kms (17 miles)
 Holyhead Mountain 12.9kms (8 miles)
 Aberffraw Bay  7.7kms (4.5 miles)

A Living and Working Landscape

Employment within the AONB is mainly based on agriculture and tourism and in some cases a combination of both. The range of local produce found on the island is quite varied from cheese and chocolate to wine. In a number of instances the local produce is also organic. Approximately 2 million people visit the island each year attracting people from North Wales the North West of England and also visitors from overseas.

In terms of recreation the island offers a number of opportunities to both residents and visitors alike, the majority enjoying the fine sandy beaches and the coastal landscape.

The most popular forms of recreation include sailing, angling, cycling, walking, wind surfing and jet skiing. These all place pressures and demands on the AONB. At the same time, the AONBs popularity for such activities clearly provides a contribution to the local economy.