Giants North Wales

Menai Suspension Bridge

Mind the gap. When Thomas Telford completed the Menai Suspension Bridge in 1826, he joined two halves of the A5 on its epic journey from London to Holyhead on Anglesey. And saved a whopping nine hours into the bargain.

Before Telford and his big ideas, crossing the Menai Strait meant a perilous boat trip or desperate dash at low tide. The world’s first iron suspension bridge changed all that.

Its scale will still take your breath away. Slung between towers made of limestone from Penmon on Anglesey are 16 massive chain cables, holding up a 176-metre deck.

Once the longest such bridge in the world, this giant of the Industrial Revolution was also tall enough for 100-feet sailing ships to pass beneath it undisturbed. Even at high water. So please don’t worry if you’re halfway across and you see one coming.