When You Cruise Wales Remember to Visit Holyhead on Anglesey Island

With a greater number of travellers seeking to cruise Wales as well as other parts of the UK, there seems an increasing chance that Wales will soon catch up with the long established European cruise ports as a desired destination in the popular leisure cruise market. In the British Parliament a special committee of legislators focusing on Wales have produced a report with such conclusions. The report indicates that the UK cruise market enjoyed strong growth over the last decade or so, and it recommends that efforts be made to secure more growth in cruise ship arrivals to strengthen Welsh port communities and economies.

Any keen cruise travellers should note that before they make advanced bookings to cruise Wales there is currently a slight difficulty with providing adequate facilities for berthing and Welsh ports infrastructure to service the fast growing fleet of big ships cruising European waters needs to be upgraded. Meanwhile there is a campaign called the “Celtic Wave” led by Anglesey, which has a budget of around $2m and covers ports in Ireland and Wales, with the aim of attracting more cruise visitors to these ports and their wider regional economies.

In Cardiff the Welsh Assembly Government is urging the UK government to offer extra infrastructure investment to get ports like Holyhead on Anglesey, Swansea and Milford Haven up to a quality threshold demanded by the cruise line operators. There is a mega potential boost for local port economies, according to the conclusions of the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee, and their regional economies would benefit by making it easier for people to cruise Wales as part of the UK cruising vacation.

Over the longer term the prospects are for Welsh ports to emulate the success enjoyed by Baltic ports where there is an established and popular cruise market. From Holyhead in north west Wales via Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire and Swansea to Newport, Welsh ports can act as engines of economic regeneration when they encourage travellers to cruise Wales. In the summer of 2009 the first cruise ship visited Newport, and nearby is the Celtic Manor where the Ryder Cup will be held in 2010. Cruise passengers from Newport were able to visit the Millennium Centre, Cardiff Castle and other attractions in nearby Cardiff.

In the same upon arrival at the port of Holyhead on Anglesey, cruise visitors would be able to see some fantastic attractions including World Heritage Castles of Wales at Beaumaris and Caernarfon, South Stack Lighthouse and Llynnon Mill. Then there is the 125 mile long island coastal path with breathtaking views, and the notable Oriel Art Gallery and Seawatch centre at Moelfre.

To boost the berthing facilities for the anticipated increase in cruise ship arrivals at Holyhead, the Welsh Assembly Government is providing financial support to strengthen the jetty used by Anglesey Aluminium Metals (AAM), which provides excellent sheltered anchorage and a convenient disembarkation point for cruise line passengers. When completed this upgrade will see the Holyhead outer harbour jetty strong enough to allow mega liners such as the 2,000 passenger carrying, 285 metre Westerdam to berth at Holyhead Port.

Looking ahead the prospects looks good for potential UK cruise visitors wanting to cruise Wales as part of their overall itinerary, and for sure Holyhead port will be set to give them a great welcome as they set out to search for the various attractions on and off the island.

Coming from the beautiful island of Anglesey Wales in the UK, the author, David Phillips, manages an informative website focusing on local news and information. Find out more about organising to cruise Wales here to help make your vacation more pleasurable.

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