Roundhouse

The Roundhouse sits just outside Holyhead on Anglesey, a stubborn bit of Victorian engineering that refuses to be ignored. Built in 1846 as a lock-up, this circular stone structure is exactly what it sounds like - a proper cylindrical jail, designed so a single officer could watch all the cells from the centre. Quirky doesn't begin to cover it.

What you're actually looking at is industrial-age problem-solving made visible. The walls are thick, the design is oddly clever, and there's something rather compelling about standing outside a building where they genuinely thought circular geometry would solve crime. It's free to visit and takes about fifteen minutes to walk around and photograph, maybe longer if you're the type who gets lost in Victorian logic.

Families with older kids will find it interesting in a 'that's weird' sort of way. History buffs will appreciate the specificity of it - not grand, not a castle, just a very particular solution to a very specific 19th-century problem. Younger children might find it a bit flat unless you're good at storytelling.

It works brilliantly as a stop between Llain Ffynnon or Pengraig campsites and Holyhead proper. Nothing fancy, no visitor centre, just you and a circle. If you're doing the Anglesey circuit, it's worth twenty minutes. Don't expect crowds or facilities - come for the oddness of it.