Adventure, nature, wildlife & fun – we jumped at the chance to partner up with Rib Ride Anglesey and are we glad we did; the experience we had with them was nothing short of spectacular. Our 2 hour boat tour took us to the rocky islets, The Skerries which are just North of Anglesey, an island off the northwest coast of Wales & afterwards over to the famous South Stack. Here we’ll cover full details of our trip, which we would highly recommend putting on your “must-do in Wales” list!
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Rib Ride Anglesey
Getting There
The island of Anglesey is accessed by the 19th-century Menai Suspension Bridge and the Britannia Bridge (rebuilt in the 20th century) & is jam-packed with things to do. Rib Ride Anglesey offer a variety of tours in the area, the one we opted for was the magical “Skerries Tour” which leaves from Holyhead Marina starting from around May each year & finishing in the autumn time.
The scenic drive from the mainland to Holyhead Marina takes about 30 minutes in total, crossing the iconic Menai Suspension Bridge & onto the beautiful island of Anglesey. The meet up point for this tour is the marina itself which has a buzzing feel & is a nice place to sit with a coffee whilst waiting for your Rib Ride to arrive. There is also the Marina wall to marvel at, built of 8 million tonnes of stone from the local hills, it took a mammoth 28 years to complete.
Rib Ride‘s aim is provide all its guests with a fun, exhilarating & memorable experience whilst keeping every safe & happy at the same time. Our skipper Charles was an absolute delight, making sure that plenty of laughs were had by everyone for the entire trip!
The Highlights
Skipper Charles
As mentioned above Charles delivered all of the fun for our 2 hour Rib Ride Anglesey tour which is why we want to give him a special mention here as this is one of the things for us, that makes an experience much more memorable. Growing up in the area & around boats all of his life, Charles was full of interested facts about the The Skerries, Angelsey & its nature & wildlife.
Amongst many Charles told us the story of the RNLI & its connection with Anglesey as well as various shipwrecks that have happened all around this coastline over the years, we were certainly entertained for the whole tour!
The Seals
It’s always a highlight to see wildlife but the little fellas here really were extra special. We saw about 20 grey seals in total, bobbing around in the water & chilling on the rocks, it was just so incredible to see these beautiful creatures in their natural environment.
We had a particularly friendly adult seal who was happy playing with the float that was attached to our boats’ anchor as well as a very inquisitive young female seal who kept bobbing her head up to see what we were all up to!
The Lighthouses
We saw a couple of lighthouses on this trip, the first was Trinity lighthouse on the Skerries. Built around 1716 it is currently home to a lighthouse keeper who carries an umbrella around with him to ward off the Arctic Tern population who apparently love taking a dive bomb at him once they have made their journey back from Antarctica to The Skerries in the spring. According to the Welsh man the little buggers can even draw blood!
South Stack Lighthouse was also a highlight for us, sitting pristine upon on the cliff it makes for an impressive sight as you come cruising in along the coast. The lighthouse keeper here once got washed out of his bed during the night by a wave that came right up over the cliff. Who knew that being the keeper of a lighthouse could include so many perils hey!
The Birdlife
Witnessing around 50 or so arctic terns at feeding time just diving into the sea was pretty amazing as well as seeing countless other terns. Distinguished by their black & white colouring at a distance they could be mistaken for puffins, however when you actually see a Puffin as we did you,ll know the difference. We love the way the Puffins flew awkwardly above us which made for a lot of awww’ing from the rib.
The Scenery
With its own unique gorgeous scenery & the mountains of Snowdonia making for a breathtaking backdrop, Anglesey will certainly have you wow’ed! The Rocks & minerals in this area are so diverse the caves that have formed here are like works of art in themselves. Add to this the deep blue colour of the ocean & if you’re as lucky as we were to have a blue sky to match there are endless photo opportunities to be had!
Anglesey Boat Trips – Why You Should Book Your Tour With Rib Ride
There are a variety of tours available through Rib Ride Anglesey, be sure to check out their website for current boat tours & timings or contact the awesome Sam or Jo in their office for any help at all with your booking.
Although you will need a sense of adventure for the boat trips, the guys at Rib Ride will ensure that you are well looked after & most importantly safe throughout your trip. We’ve just heard rumour of their brand new boat Velocity being the world’s fastest rib, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that we will have a go on that soon!
If you’re after a fun morning or afternoon exploring this little-known area then you’ll be in for a real treat with Rib Ride Anglesey.
If you need any more convincing you can also watch the video of our magical Skerries tour in full, just below…..
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We hope you have enjoyed this write up on our experience, if you have any questions or comments at all please add them just below.
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Happy Adventuring!
Kelly & Adam xx
about the wilder route...
In 2017 Kelly & Adam Peck embarked on a journey that would change their lives forever...
Equipped with a couple of second-hand bikes, they took a one-way flight to Havana, Cuba &, after a cycling escapade that took them over four hundred kilometres - through remote villages & untouched landscapes, the roots of The Wilder Route were firmly planted.
From there the adventure was destined to continue... this intrepid couple spent the next 10 months soaking up the vibrance of Mexico, hiking up volcanoes in Guatemala, taking in the wild scenery of Canada & experiencing the beauty & diversity of Colombia, before eventually returning to the UK.
With the feeling of exploration in their souls, Kelly & Adam knew that they wanted to build a life that brought them closer to nature, a life that made adventure part of their every day. Selling most of their belongings & packing the rest of what they owned into their tiny home on wheels, van life became the next step of their journey.
Since moving into their motorhome in 2018 (a Bessacar E560 named Barnaby) they have experienced many more magical moments, built their online business on the road & have even planned a wedding & said "I do" along the way.
Featured in publications such as Wanderlust Magazine & Housesitting Magazine & speaking at events such as Destinations Shows, Borderless Live & The Caravan & Motorhome Show about living a location-independent lifestyle - they are passionate about helping & inspiring others to explore, to connect with nature &, to live alternatively.
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