Llangollen Canal – The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and more.

Date: Sun 17^th Feb, 2012.

Refs/Links:-

1. Blog on Song of the Paddle (SotP)
2. Canoe Days Out Thread
3. Canal Planner - Shropshire Union (Llangollen Canal - Main Line)
4. Waterscape.com - Boaters Guides - pdf downloads
5. Visiting Pontcysyllte by car
6. In 1998 the plug was pulled to empty the Aqueduct
7. Short Term Licence Application - £4.33/boat - for non BCU members (https://secure.britishwaterways.co.uk/short-term/)
8. The Jack Mytton Inn (http://www.jack-mytton.co.uk/)

The Plan …

I’ve wanted to do the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct ever since I’d seen photographs of it. We were now going to do it

Boats … intended as a canoe trip, but river running kayaks, sea-kayaks etc are fine

Ian and Mike were borrowing canoes that could be used

I’d talked to a lovely lady at the Canals & Rivers Trust, The Car Parks just to the North of  the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct are free , ditto, I think, the car park South of the aqueduct … non BCU members would need to purchase a day licence, unless sharing a canoe with a BCU member or day licence holder, see link 7 above … and you’d need to think of a name for your boat/canoe

How to get there … The put in is at the car park(s) just north Trevor side, of the Aqueduct … postcode  LL20 7TY … see Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Trevor Basin in linked document No5 above.

Plan to meet here at Pontcysyllte at 10:00AM, or before.

We’d sort the shuttle at the put in … it’s a circa 8.25 mile one way trip … and we’d be doing 2 aqueducts , 2 tunnels (bring head torches)  and 2 locks  … but we could all help to move the boats at these

So all the kit was unloaded and the drivers were ready to set off for the Jack Mytton Inn, I’d phoned the lady at the pub beforehand to find out about food ... if we could get there for 2:30PM we’d be fine for the lunchtime menu ... the pub would be open for drinks when we arrived if we were late.

Keith’s GPS couldn’t find the location ... Mike fired his up, set it for fast route in the hope of avoiding tight wiggly lanes and off we went ... down all the tight wiggly lanes.

Nearly there and Mike took the wrong lane, the convoy snaked back on itself and down the right lane ... ending up at a private house?? Thankfully Joyce had spotted a sign to the pub, we’d missed it by about 100yds ... much multi-point turning and we were at the pub. 2 cars and a campervan made the return trip to Pontcysyllte fielding phone messages en-route ... “Where were we? ... were we IN th pub? ... how long would we be?

All back at the start we were all on the water at about 11:40AM ... we go that way ...

Mike had donned his fluorescent pink beret and issued the instruction to our group to follow him in the lead boat. Tim, Genni et al were on a Lv2 Coaching course based at Trevor and they headed off over the aqueduct in front of us .... Ken joined the Lv2 course.

Ken then “follows” the lead boat by going backwards ... you are in front of me, aren’t you?

Approaching the first bridge ... Fron Lift Bridge No.28 ... didn’t think it’d be so low, we can’t limbo under that ... we’ll have to lift the boats out and portage around it.

Thankfully a local loaned us a windlass key and Ian lifted the gate sufficiently that we could paddle through.

And we get to Whitehouses Tunnel ...

... and approaching the longer Chirk Tunnel

... coo, it’s dark in here ....

There is a nice basin on the other side of the tunnel, with seats (occupied) but this would be a good, circa halfway, lunch stop in future.

... and then over the Chirk Aqueduct to stop for drinks and butties ... nearly half way ... 3.7miles

This must be the lead boat ... spot the pink beret ... it’s also a playboat transporter as Tom has joined Keith in the Interlude.

Mark demonstrates the Inside Pivot Turn?

Suitably refreshed and having stretched out any kinks/aches ... off we go again

Ian seems OK ...

.... or is he getting tired?

... has he expired ...

Mike takes off the pink beret in respect ... shouldn’t the Viking funeral barge be set alight?

We meet a flotilla of geese

... and then a somewhat bushier specimen

5.2 miles in and were at Moreton Bridge/Dragon’s Nest

Spring has sprung .... Snowdrops

Mr Crabtree has yet to catch a fish ....

... and on we go towards the Marton Top and bottom locks where most of us will portage our boats

Ken decides not to portage and gets stuck on the reeds a the top of the Lock drainage sluice, he wriggles free and runs the sluice

Not to be outdone Mike H runs the sluice in a canoe

... but what’s this ... who is the second canoeist?

It’s Ian H ... magically resurrected ... so Mike F needn’t have taken his beret off after all

Intrepid paddler Tom also ran the 1st sluice ... and was the only paddler to run the second sluice too (twice)

... a short hop and we were at the pub. An excellent trip thanks to everyone who joined in and an excellent place to stop ... so thanks to everyone at the friendly Jack Mytton Inn as well. We must time the next trip far better ... so we can sample the food at the pub too

Photo Credits .... Diana S, Mike H, Ali B, Lisa O, John B and Mark B.

Further photographs added in below thanks to Mike V.