At a glance
The most impressive prehistoric settlement remains in Wales — a late Iron Age and Roman-period enclosure near Moelfre on Anglesey, with drystone walls standing to near-full height. Free open access (Cadw), 800m field walk from lay-by on B5108 (LL72 8NH).
About Din Lligwy
Din Lligwy is a late Iron Age and Roman-period enclosed settlement on the northeast coast of Anglesey — arguably the finest example of its type in Wales, preserved with a completeness and clarity that makes the original settlement immediately comprehensible to the modern visitor. The irregular polygon of thick drystone walls, enclosing approximately half an acre, still stands in places to 1.5 metres — enough to feel the weight and permanence of the original structure.
Within the enclosure, two circular stone huts (the traditional Iron Age building form) and several rectangular buildings (a form adopted under Roman influence) survive to their full footprint. The circular huts would have been roofed with timber and thatch; the rectangular structures may have served as byres, workshops or storage. The site was in use during the period of Roman occupation of Britain — Roman coins, fine pottery, bronze vessels and ironwork have been excavated here, indicating the inhabitants were prosperous and engaged with the wider Roman economy rather than simply subsisting in isolation.
The immediate landscape around Din Lligwy contains several other ancient monuments. Within 1 mile, the Lligwy burial chamber — a massive Neolithic cromlech with a capstone weighing approximately 25 tonnes — predates the settlement by 3,000 years or more. The ruined 12th-century Capel Lligwy lies approximately 500 metres away on a path from the settlement. Together, these monuments span 5,000 years of human activity in a single small area of Anglesey farmland.
What to see at Din Lligwy
- The enclosure walls — Drystone walls up to 1.5 m high — the most substantial surviving Iron Age/Roman-period settlement walls in Wales.
- Circular and rectangular hut footprints — The internal buildings are clearly legible — two round huts and several rectangular structures covering the full interior of the enclosure.
- Lligwy burial chamber — A massive Neolithic cromlech approximately 800 metres from Din Lligwy — a capstone of extraordinary scale resting on low supporting stones.
- Capel Lligwy — The roofless 12th-century chapel ruins approximately 500 metres from the settlement — Norman origins, one of the earliest church remains on Anglesey.
Find it on the map
Frequently asked questions
Din Lligwy dates primarily from the late Iron Age and Roman period — roughly the 1st to 4th centuries AD. The enclosure was in use during the Roman occupation of Britain, and Roman coins, pottery and metal goods have been found at the site, indicating the inhabitants were engaged in trade with or working alongside the Roman economy. The settlement may have been occupied continuously from the Iron Age into the post-Roman period.
Din Lligwy is an enclosed native settlement — an irregular polygon of thick drystone walls (up to 1.5 metres high in places) enclosing approximately half an acre, containing the footprints of two circular huts (the traditional Iron Age form) and several rectangular buildings (a form associated with Roman-period influence). The walls are one of the best-preserved examples of Iron Age/Roman native settlement architecture in Wales. The setting — a small rise above Anglesey farmland — gives views to the coast.
Din Lligwy is among the best-preserved examples of a native British enclosed settlement from the Iron Age and Roman period anywhere in Wales. While many such sites survive only as earthwork traces, Din Lligwy has standing drystone walls that convey the scale and solidity of the original settlement immediately and without imagination. Excavations in 1905–1907 found Roman coins, pottery, ironwork, a bronze pan and animal bones — a picture of a prosperous farming community engaged with the wider Roman world.
Din Lligwy is approximately 8 miles north of Beaumaris, on the northeast coast of Anglesey near the village of Moelfre. The two are easily combined in a day trip exploring Anglesey's history across three millennia — Neolithic Bryn Celli Ddu (14 miles from Din Lligwy), Roman-period Din Lligwy, and medieval Beaumaris Castle (8 miles south). This circuit of eastern and northern Anglesey makes a full day of prehistory and history.
Din Lligwy is reached from the B5108 road between Amlwch and Benllech. Look for the brown Cadw tourist sign and a small roadside lay-by near the hamlet of Lligwy (postcode LL72 8NH approximately). From the lay-by, a footpath leads approximately 800 metres through farmland to the site — allow 15 minutes each way. The path is not surfaced and can be muddy after rain. There is no fee and no facility at the site.
Within walking distance of Din Lligwy (approximately 500 metres away along a path) is Capel Lligwy — the roofless ruins of a 12th-century chapel with Norman origins, one of the earliest church remains on Anglesey. The nearby Lligwy burial chamber (a Neolithic cromlech, also within 1 mile) adds a third prehistoric monument to the immediate area, making this a particularly rich archaeological landscape.