Chirk to Llangollan (Friday 5th April)

Matthew and Kerry arrived about 0900 and Emily and Chris arrived off their train at 0945 so once assembled we set off on the final leg to Llangollan.

 First stretch pretty straight forward as we pulled away from Chirk. Lots of fallen trees in the canal there must have been significant storms in this area in recent weeks. Matt and Chris drove the boat which gave me a chance to try my arm at lifting a lift bridge; they are harder work than I thought! After the lift bridge at Froncysyllte, with Matthew driving, Stourbridge Lion ventured out onto the magnificent Poncycsyllte Aquaduct. (Pronounced something like Pont-cath-alty) Joanne and me stayed on the towpath to take some pictures.

 It really is quite a dizzying and disorientating experience as your mind has become accustomed over the previous week or so to seeing the boat in a very different setting and all of a sudden its travelling over 120 feet in the air with only a thin rail between the water and the tumbling river Dee below.

 Its equally dizzying for the walker on the towpath seeing this thin stream of water suspended in the air. We met a walker on the towpath who had come to visit as a result of Julia Bradbury’s canal walks TV programme. I waxed enthusiastically to him about the aquaduct and how the canal had only been saved as it had been used as a way of getting drinking water from the Welsh mountains to south Cheshire and Crewe. About halfway across a mother asked us if we could give her little girl a ride on the boat which we did.

At the other end of the aquaduct we called into the Anglo Welsh hire base to take on fuel, which required a particular difficult reverse manoeuvre,  then set off up the remaining arm of the Llangollan canal.

 The biting cold winds of the previous few days had dropped a little so it was a very enjoyable journey as the canal clings to the mountainside in many places only wide enough for one boat. Sausage cobs cwere served up to those on board  along with some Vermuelens Pork Pie from Ellesmere. This canal is very narrow in places as there is only just room for it between the mountainside and the valley below. Some sections require you to send someone ahead on foot as you cant see around the bends in the canal. Snow was still lying very heavy in Llangollen and many trees had fallen into the canal. It must have been some snow storm that hit this place. I had understood that mooring was always in demand in Llangollan and that there was a £12 charge per day but when we got there no one was around to collect the fees. I enquired at the wharf where a friendly guy who runs the horse boat there said "no one pays this time of the year. If I were you I would moor up and stay until Monday" So that is what we did.. Moored up at 1400 Wonderful view from the boats windows of the nearby mountains (see photo). 

Went out for a meal in the evening at The Corn mill in Llangollan. A three story building at the other side of the River Dee. Matthew booked us a table and we had a pleasant meal and drink.  Only Joanne and me are staying on trhe boat the others are in a nearby guest house. When we got back on the boat the stars looked bright in the clear Welsh air.