The Llangollen Canal & Shropshire Union Canal

The Llangollen Canal passing to the rear of the Cotton Arms. The Llangollen Canal leaves the Shropshire Union Canal north of Nantwich and then passes through Wrenbury, Whitchurch, Ellesmere Ports, Chirk and the Llangollen, Wales.  The Llangollen Canal is 41 miles long and will take three days to navigate. The countryside is as peaceful as it is beautiful and so a round trip back to the Shropshire Union Canal could be done in six days but in reality, it will take a little while longer. Especially, if you stop and join us for at one night on both legs of your journey!

The Llangollen Canal is considered to be one of the most beautiful and most popular Canals on the British Isles.

The Canal is reknowned for its engineering excellence and history. Early Civil Engineers had to demonstrate great ingenuity in order to cross the difficult landscape between Chirk and Llangollen. The aqueducts at Chirk and Pontcysyllte were designed and built by Thomas Telford and William Jessop who were amoung the first engineers to use cast iron troughs to contain the canal.

The Chirk Aqueduct has a trough supported by the more conventional masonry arches but crucially re-enforced with cast iron. At Pontcysyllte Aqueduct the trough is exposed and supported by 120 foot high masonry towers. When crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct by boat, there is a spectacular view form inside and outside the boat but a knee trembling drop from the Tow Path for those with a head for hieghts. In 2009, this particular stretch of Canal was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO.

Photo credit: Wikipedia