Apologies for jumping back in time but we really need to finish the story of our Shropshire and Staffordshire Road Trip. We interrupted the series of posts with our Bridges of London Challenge, which if you haven’t read then you really really should. It was an epic adventure.
Previously though we were heading north into Wales to visit the unbelievably impressive Pontcysyllte Aquaduct just outside Llangollen.
The Pontcysllte Aquaduct
One of the reasons for visiting this part of the world was to explore the beautiful Llangollen Canal and walk over the Pontcysllte Aquaduct. At over 300 metres long and 38 metres high it is the longest aquaduct in Great Britain and the highest in the world. We had seen it featured on various TV shows over the years and always wanted to visit. Built by Thomas Telford and William Jessop in 1805 it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Our first issue was how on earth to pronounce the name. ‘Pont-see-silt‘ perhaps? Or could it be ‘Pont-size-yilty‘? Who knew. In the end I had to ask the incredibly patient lady working in the shop who had obviously been asked the same question a million times. She just smiled and pointed at this ….
Obvious huh? Not to us and we couldn’t even remember ten seconds after we left the building. Pretty hopeless but expected.
Jo isn’t a fan of heights but did incredibly well to walk all the way across. It is completely different to a normal bridge in that there’s a thin metal fence on one side and an open canal with no fence the other. Doesn’t feel at all safe as you walk across and it must be even more scary if you are sitting on the back of a canal boat.
Pontcysyllte Aquaduct has long been one of the places we have been desperate to visit and it didn’t disappoint one bit. Walking over the historic Llangollen Valley crossing and back and exploring the surrounding area was fabulous and we will definitely return. Highly, most highly, recommended.
Llangollen
Heading up the River Dee we spent a couple of hours exploring the town of Llangollen. Apparently it’s name means ‘a religious settlement’ but when we arrived it appeared to be ‘a tourist settlement’. Lots of coach parties and the car park from hell with big gangs of visitors wandering slowly up and down the main street. Not a great first impression.
However, as we crossed the bridge and found a quiet park for some lunch we started to see the real Llangollen with it’s historic buildings and Welsh character. The river dominates the town but with Castell Dinas Bran looking down over the town, the steam railway station, and canal trips from Llangollen Wharf there is a lot to see and do. Lots of independent shops, cafes and restaurants make it look like a wonderful place to return to for a couple of nights (another one on the ever-expanding list).
Chirk Aquaduct
Leaving Llangollen we headed south towards Ludlow in Shropshire for our overnight accommodation. En route however we just had to divert slightly to visit another aquaduct in the delightfully named town of Chirk. Not as big as Pontcysyllte but here you get double-bubble as there is a railway bridge right next to the canal. Also, the English/Welsh border is right there at the beginning of the aquaduct.
Designed once again by Thomas Telford the Chirk Aquaduct was completed in 1801 and is also part of the Llangollen Canal system. The most impressive part for us was the Chirk Tunnel on the northern end of the aquaduct (you can see the entrance just behind Jo). It’s 421 metres long with no lighting and is the width of a narrow boat. Hasn’t changed in over 200 years. How great would it be to travel through on a canal boat?
Time to head south past Shrewsbury and onto our little bed and breakfast cottage just outside Ludlow.
28/09/2020
JWalking 
It’s a lovely bit of the world and I’ve always wanted to ride or walk over that valley, Jonno 🙂 🙂
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It’s absolutely stunning Jo, so picturesque and full of character. The aquaduct really was something else, brilliant.
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Sounds amazing. Fantastic photos. I used to work in Montgomery and often promised myself a visit to Llangollen to see the aqueduct…I’ll have to keep that promise….
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It’s a spectacular place and well worth a visit. Such wonderful views from a unique location.
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This is REALLY cool! No way would I be able to pronounce the name. lol.
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Those Welsh do it deliberately to confuse the English! So many difficult place names to pronounce.
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hahahahaaa. I once met a taxi driver in Scotland who was going to spend the weekend in Wales to learn how to build a teepee…that sounds like a blast…maybe some day 🙂
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A Scotsman in Wales speaking English? Sounds like a real recipe for disaster.
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I’ve always wanted to see that aqueduct Jonno. The scenery looks beautiful around there too and your post showcases it so well.
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You would absolutely love it. Spectacular views and unlike anywhere else we have ever been.
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Telford was an incredible engineer, influencing or directly leaving so many incredible features in our landscape. It looks fabulous.
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It was amazing in so many way. That Telford fella seems to have built everything in that part of England.
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Indeed. He was a true pioneer.
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I’m not usually bothered by heights, but I think I might have been with that one.
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It was a little scary, so high with hardly any protective fencing so not great for anyone slightly nervous. Jo did incredibly well.
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I’ve seen so many photos of this and my parents have crossed it in a canal boat. I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable doing that. I might have to get out and walk across.
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I think you’re right, sitting on the back of a boat looked far worse to us than walking across. They were actually sitting overhanging the edge! Crazy.
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There’s no point in doing it if I feel the need to have my eyes closed the whole way. 🙂
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I’ve never even heard of that aqueduct never mind pronounced it! Looks definitely worth a visit.
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It’s spectacular and we’ll worth visiting. So unique, we’ve never seen anything like it before and walking over was a real experience.
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That aqueduct is amazing I’ve seen it on tv but your photos really portray it better. No doubt that is top of the list for canal boat adventures.
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Definitely a must for those river-people but incredible to walk over too. Brilliant place.
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Great little trip and wonderful photos
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Oh it was epic Ali. We’ve been wanting to go for such a long time and it was so much more impressive than we expected. Unique.
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You’ve really been up and down the length of the UK recently, where are you locking down now for the next few weeks
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Well all of our housesitting plans are currently cancelling so we actually don’t have anywhere to go. No home. Trying desperately to sort something out. Could end up on someones floor for a few weeks I think.
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That doesn’t sound too good, I hope something comes up soon then, a small holiday let? As no-one is going on holiday
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No holiday let’s are supposed to be taking bookings thru lockdown. Or hotels.
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Oh no ..well hope you find a spare room soon then ..good luck
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I must have been living under a bit of a rock as I’ve never heard of it Ringo! Proper impressive that given when it was built and the scale. It’s Romanesque in style and size and the views must be amazing.
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It’s incredible. Very impressive structure and amazing views all round.
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I love Wales – the countryside is stunning and I have so many childhood memories there. The info on the Aquaduct is really interesting and it’s an incredible feat of engineering. I think you are both really brave to walk over it. And, yes, what a crazy experience it would be to go over it in a boat! We have a low and narrow footbridge over the local river here that has a handrail only on one side – and it wobbles when you walk on it – and so I don’t think I could ever be as brave as you and Jo walking across the world’s tallest one!
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It was a real experience Janice. Probably lucky that it was out of season and not at all busy. Not sure we would have liked it as much with crowds of people queued up. Super impressive though.
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It’s good they had the pronunciation sign, even if it wasn’t all that helpful! Some English place names are a struggle, let alone Welsh. Sometimes I take trains just to see how the train voice pronounces things so I can do the same!
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Those Welsh do it deliberately just to make the rest of us look daft. Like the idea of checking the pronunciation on the train. Good thinking.
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As Mayo said, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of an aquaduct! This was a brilliant blog. Can’t believe that photo of the canal boat, just casually going over the aquaduct at that height. Great stuff 🙂
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Its an incredible place, well worth the trip.
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Your posts just make me want to do a massive road trip round the UK exploring all these cute little villages you write about. Maybe one day.
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What a trip that would be! May have to ways while though until the world is a little more normal.
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