Menai Suspension Bridge

Before 1826 Anglesey was reached by ferry across a strait with fierce tidal currents, and cattle were swum over. Thomas Telford's bridge, opened in January 1826, was the largest suspension bridge in the world when it opened, according to Grace's Guide to British Industrial History, with a span of 176 metres and a deck thirty metres above high water, a height set by the Admiralty so that fully rigged sailing ships could pass beneath without lowering masts. The original chains were wrought iron, heated and dipped in linseed oil against corrosion, and were replaced with steel in the 1930s when the deck was rebuilt. Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge, a tubular railway crossing of 1850, stands a short distance west and was rebuilt as a two-deck arch after a fire in 1970. The strait between them holds the Swellies, a stretch of rocks and violent tidal races.

What to look for

• The 176-metre span - the largest suspension span of its day, from 1826.
• The Admiralty clearance - a deck thirty metres up for sailing ships.
• The Swellies - rocks and tidal races in the strait between the two bridges.
• Britannia Bridge - Stephenson's 1850 crossing, rebuilt after a 1970 fire.

When to go

Year-round; the footway is open at all times and free. The tidal races run hardest around spring tides and are worth timing for. The bridge is lit at night.

Before you go

The footway is narrow and beside constant traffic, so it is noisy. The bridge was closed to all traffic again on 4 October 2025 after further defects were found, so check the current restrictions before planning to drive across. Parking on either side is limited. The best views of the bridge itself are from the shore paths at Menai Bridge town or Church Island rather than from the deck.

Nearby

Bangor lies south; Beaumaris and Anglesey are across the strait.

Key facts