Review: Anglesey Circuit
I visited Anglesey for a track day. The circuit is in northwest Wales, ~5 hours’ drive from London.
Anglesey Circuit a sort of Pebble Beach for cars in the UK: it’s a beautiful oceanside circuit on the Irish Sea directly east of Dublin. Unlike most UK circuits, which, as converted airfields, are flat, Anglesey is a bespoke circuit designed on gently rolling hills. The camber and light terrain adds an element of interest to driving at Anglesey. And hey — on the way out to Anglesey, you’ll pass Llanfairpwllgwyngyll… always amusing.
The event I drove was organized by Book-a-Track, who ran it in its International Circuit configuration in the morning and its Coastal configuration in the afternoon. They tend to keep events under 40 cars on the track, which means zero waiting in the pit lane. The only crowded time was the hour right after lunch; at all other times, the track felt open, requiring little passing (or being passed).
Anglesey and Book-a-Track events tend to attract a different set of drivers. The distance to the track, along with its relative expense (£200), made it so that mostly dedicated fans showed up. There were a broad mix of vehicles, with Lotus having the best representation; there were a few hot hatches, a Noble, several Atoms, two Ferrari 458 Speciales, and a McLaren 12C. The exotics basically cleared off the track after the morning.
I rented a Porsche 997 GT3. Though enjoyable, I’d say that for this track, the GT3 is wholly too much car. Caterhams and Lotuses were keeping up with the 458 and 12C, given that Anglesey has many turns throughout, including several hairpins (and one banked 180-degree turn). In general, at Anglesey, I’d recommend something like a Caterham or even a base Elise — you’ll do just fine.
The track itself is a pleasure to drive — much more technical, chaining together a series of different turns. You stay busy the entire time on the track, always shifting, turning, braking, accelerating, or passing. It’s much more active, for the driver, than a GP circuit like Silverstone. The runoffs are generous; it would take some serious commitment to wreck a car at Anglesey.
The only drawback is the distance from London. It’s largely inaccessible by public transport (unless you’re willing to do 12–13 hours in a combination of rail and bus). But the good news is that the drive can be absolutely beautiful, especially if you take the slower A5 through Wales.
I’d recommend Anglesey to anyone who’d like to drive a beautiful circuit in the UK. And hey — if it’s good enough for Chris Harris and Steve Sutcliffe, it’s plenty good enough for me. Here’s a 991 GT3 going around Anglesey, for your viewing pleasure: http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/pure-driving-experiences-anglesey/28987
