'Moving blockade' planned for one of Wales' busiest beaches this weekend

Two grandmothers are leading the protests to highlight the gridlocks that regularly plague the area as tourists descend

A "moving blockade" of angry villagers is set to cause significant delays for those heading to one of Wales' most popular beaches over the bank holiday weekend. Spearheaded by two grandmothers and a local community stalwart the protest aims to highlight the severe traffic jams that frequently plague Newborough, Anglesey.

Village life is often forced to grind to a halt as visitors flock to the stunning Traeth Llanddwyn and the neighbouring Newborough Forest. The picturesque beach, often included in top 10 lists and famed for its enchanting tidal island, has an irresistible allure.

With another round of lengthy tailbacks expected over the bank holiday residents are taking a stand to demand change – even if it means contributing to the congestion themselves – on Sunday, May 4, by taking part in a "moving blockade"

Annwen Williams, 58, a grandmother-of-seven and protester, expressed the community's frustration: "For years there have been lots of meetings and lots of talk but not enough action," she said. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

"Well we are now the action. We're fed up and we need things to change. And we won't be backing down – this weekend's protest won't be the last. We'll keep doing them until something is finally done to sort out the village's traffic problems."

On Sunday at 9am a group of villagers, including children, will embark on a "slow walk" from the heart of the village. Flanked by at least one tractor for safety they plan to take an unhurried hour-long walk down Church Street, which leads to the main beach car park at Newborough Forest.

Access to the popular beach is set to be brought to a standstill as Church Street is the only access road to the main beach car park.

Following a picnic on Traeth Llanddwyn the protests intend to make an hour-long return trip, again blocking traffic to and from the beach, reports NorthWalesLive.

A small police escort is promised and Natural Resources Wales (NRW), which oversees Newborough Forest National Nature Reserve, has pledged additional traffic management.

The popular car park at Traeth Llanddwyn Beach, which charges £7 for day-long access, has space for 300 vehicles. "We organised it at 9am as the car park is often full by 10am," admitted organiser Annwen.

On clear sunny days the allure of the beach can see vehicles lined up for 1.8 miles along the twisty route leading from Newborough village centre, with jams extending another half-mile on the A4080 towards Pen-lôn.

Residents, unable to escape the chaos, report feeling imprisoned within their own homes. Attempts to sidestep the long waits have led drivers to park on residential streets, often obstructing driveways, and even on double yellow lines introduced on the A4080 back in 2021 to alleviate local traffic woes.

Plans for Sunday's protest were discussed at a village meeting on Thursday, May 1. Also present were NRW, Anglesey council, and police representatives. "They tried to tell us we wouldn't be safe walking on the road," said Annwen. "But it's dangerous already.

"I walk up that road two or three times a week – the forest and beach is my refuge. Often I have to jump onto the narrow verge and press up against farm fencing to avoid the cars. There's always a lot of beep beeping – there's so much road rage as angry visitors get stuck in the queues.

"During Sunday's slow walk anyone trying to get to the forest and beach will not get past us. At the meeting NRW told us that, for safety reasons, they will try to slow visitor traffic at Pen-lôn or even stop it altogether."

Newborough has been grappling with congestion issues for more than two decades with visitor numbers skyrocketing during the Covid pandemic. This led to the implementation of traffic management measures in the village centre at weekends and during the summer holidays.

However residents argue that the problem persists, fuelled by social media – so much so that a prominent Anglesey page on Facebook has now banned photos of Treath Llanddwyn and its island.

In an attempt to tackle the issue NRW organised "hackathon" workshops in Newborough last year where various solutions were discussed including pre-booked parking and park-and-ride schemes. More innovative proposals such as boat taxis and a cable car system were also considered.

After a miserable Easter, in which last year's "worst-ever" gridlocks were exceeded, three lifelong village residents decided enough was enough. Annwen, John Evans, 59, and Heather Savage, 62, met to gauge support and the idea for a "slow walk" was formed.

"We can't call it a march because for this you have to give 28 days notice to the police," said Annwen. "We know that everyone in the village feels the same way we do.

"All we want is the chance to cross the road safely – especially those with children – and the freedom to leave our homes if we need to.

"We're certainly not anti-tourist. A lot of visitors suffer in the congestion too and they deserve better. We don't want to stop them coming – we just want an end to the gridlocks."