It's been a while, communications black spot on the Llangollen. We've made it to the end and here's how we got here.
As I said it was to be a day of lift bridges and locks. Thankfully the locks got a little wider but the lift bridges don't lift any higher.
We have been massively outnumbered by holiday hire boats, apart from that it was a fairly uneventful but beautiful day. We saw lots of Kingfishers, sorry no pics, elusive little things. Stopped at the shop in the garden. literally a shop in somebody's garden on the tow path. Then we moored up on Whixall Moss.
The next morning started with some running repairs, keep the old girl purring along. And off into another fantastic sunny day. We stopped en route for a bottle of gas and provisions for the ship's stores in Ellesmere. Then onward to find one of our quiet moorings. Which we found at Hindford.
Where an old steam boat sailed by.
The next morning the good captain was busy writing the previous blog with all the wedding photos so I had to amuse myself for a while and I discovered a new obsession. I've moved on from, well actually added to my cheese coiling ropes fixation. I discovered rope splicing and fancy knot tying. Spent a couple of happy hours splicing and tying the fenders and mooring lines.
Then we hit the BIG attractions of the Llangollen. First Chirk aqueduct.
Then Wales followed closely by Chirk tunnel, don't ask about the tunnel, we need to touch the paint up a bit.
Then Whitehouse tunnel.
The captain banished me to the tow path for this one and Maya came through unscathed.
Then the main attraction Pontycysyllte aqueduct. And yes it is as terrifying as it looks. 130 feet straight down no guard rail and some two hundred year old cast iron holding you in. AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We survived and turned onto miniature, half scale canal that is the Llangollen proper. Thankfully boat free all the way to the end. Though very beautiful the narrows are exactly what they say they are.
Together with the strong current, the canal feeds directly from the Dee, they combine to make forward progress difficult. At points we were at full revs just to keep creeping forward. Its also a very twisty stretch too and negotiating the bends was no fun either. We got there in the end and moored up in the marina for a couple of days.
Yesterday we went for a train ride.
On a steam train from Llangollen to Carrog. Where we had a stroll down to the river Dee and dangled our toes in the water.
Then back on a vintage diesel. To have an icecream and watch the world go by.
In the afternoon we had a visit from two bikers, identities withheld to protect the guilty, they know who they are. Where we had drinks on the stern and watched the boats go by before they set off to cause more mayhem. Hope you made it home safe boys.
Today we set off back down the Llangollen, with the current to our backs! What adventures await us????
