LANDSCAPE & COMMISSIONED PHOTOGRAPHY
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATION GUIDES:
Menai Suspension Bridge
Summary:
Best at / for: winter sunset, summer sunrise, autumn colours.
Best avoided: flat light, busy traffic.
Parking: free parking right alongside.
Access: no walking required from some points – suitable for disabled.
Notes: an iconic location with several vantage points.
Details:
Thomas Telford’s iconic Menai Suspension Bridge is a location of great industrial heritage. Opened in 1826, it was commissioned to connect the coach road from London (now the A5) to the Dublin ferries at Holyhead. Previous journeys had required the use of small ferries across the Menai Strait at the mercy of its aggressive tide races.
To the landscape photographer the bridge offers a wealth of opportunities for images with an extremely strong subject, but composed from a wide range of perspectives and surroundings. Vantage points are available on both the island side and the mainland. The best lighting based on seasonal sun (and moon) locations can usually be taken advantage of from various angles.
In addition to options from available light, tides and seasons can also come into play. The bridge has deciduous woodland around it which offer good autumn colours, and the drama of the weather and tides can also create interesting options.
Finally there are options to get up close and right onto the bridge with a camera, but there are also long range options with wide vistas and Snowdonia Carneddau mountains as a background – great when snow-capped.