On to Llangollen

 CRT announced they would do a temporary repair to the breach, so we decided to move a little closer to have a look. When we moored near the junction of the Prees Branch there was a team  doing routine work on the off side bank.

 

 

There was a pontoon across the closed section. The canal twists into Wales just before the breach & then twists back into England for a good few miles.

We chatted to one of the workmen who was delivering huge bags of ballast to the breach site. He said it was a badger set that had caused the problem.

 

We enjoyed exploring the area beside the canal, Wixal Moss. The peat was originally 12m deep, but due to digging it up for fuel & garden compost, plus, draining it to allow canal & later railway construction is now only 6m deep. A viewing tower has been constructed to the original 12m. During WW2, large braziers ( Starfish site) were lit at night on the moss as decoys to help protect Liverpool from the enemy. It was hard to believe the moss had been drained, as it was very wet & muddy as we crossed back into England. We were thrilled to have spotted a marsh tit on our bird feeder, another bird to add to our list.

The canal beside the viewing tower is a good couple of feet above the towpath and held back with rather substantial piling.

 

There are quite a few lift bridges on the Llangollen Canal, which need winding up & down with a windlass.

 

We got the OK to go past the breach very slowly, so as not to further damage the bank. We could see close up the large yellow tarpaulin was placed over the hole & fixed in place with the huge bags of ballast.

We spent Easter at Ellesmere and had one rain free day when we were able to open Jubilee Fibres.

 

It’s easy to imagine the hive activity the town had. As lots of the old warehouses are still there.

We found a lovely little pub, the White Hart in the town that had a big sign by the door inviting you to bring your takeaway food, it would have been rude not to. Plus, a good place to catch up with my socks.

 

CRT has a large yard at Ellesmere, and we met their noisy pet showing off his tail feathers as we got water!

Ellesmere Tesco was a right by the mooring, so we took advantage of bringing a full trolley back to the boat ready for when Magnus & Lance came to stay.

Prior to going over Chirk aqueduct & through it’s tunnel, we moored up & explored on foot. The aqueduct is a splendid sight with its railway neighbour.

Unusually, the tunnels on this canal have towpaths in them. Most other canals the horses were taken over the top & the boat ‘legged’ through by the crew or paid leggers who laid on the cabin roof & pushed the boat along with their feet!

 

It’s tricky to see in the photo, but the canal is perched on a huge embankment, with the rooftops way below!

We brought the boys to the boat for a week on the train, and they too found the walk through tunnels fascinating.

 

They’re a super little crew helping with all the chores:- getting water, going through the lift bridges and cooking.

  

And onto the highlight of our new adventure, going over the Pontcysylite Aqueduct, which carries the canal over the River Dee valley. It really is quite daunting with a sheer drop on the off side. Most other aqueducts have an edge of some sort.

Once over the aqueduct, the canal narrows to single file for fairly long distances a few times before it reaches its terminus at Llangollen. The guide books suggest sending a crew member ahead to make sure the way is clear. I thought it best to leave the 3 lads on the boat, so I went ahead.

We booked to stay in Llangollen Basin for a few days to explore. The boys had a super time playing in the wooded area behind the mooring.