Voyages of Gabriel: Ellesmere to Llangollen

Mon 12^th Jun Ellesmere to Gledrid

After some last minute Tesco shopping, we turned the boat around at the end of the arm, and returned to the sanitary station to empty cassettes and fill the water tank.

We set off in the direction of Llangollen, and we soon passed Amy Em, looking a little underused and forlorn. Rex hasn’t used it much since Margaret passed away.

As we approached the entrance to the Montgomery Canal at Frankton Junction, a work boat pulled out in front of us, and went slowly ahead of us. We were planning to stop anyway, for our first meal of the day, so we pulled into a space just beyond Bridge 1W, letting the CRT boats get away. We have no plans to do the Monty this time.

We spotted some Mandarin ducks at one point and later in the week we saw more mandarin families. At New Marton Locks, some CRT workers were helping a boat through, and they stayed to help us through the top lock. One of these guys was Roger, who had been very helpful with our mission arrangements.

We decided to try the Poachers Pocket at Gledrid, and we managed to squeeze in on some piling. We booked a table and had a pleasant meal.

Later we at last had some heavy rain. As we were under some trees, we collected a mass of sticky debris on the roof.

Up the Ellesmere Arm past the mission boats

Returning to the main line

The Maintenance Yard

Saturn the Shroppie Fly Boat

Amy Em

Work boats pulling out

We keep seeing Waiouru

Whittington Wharf

Turnover Bridge 6W

Remains of a Railway Bridge

Assistance at New Marton Top Lock

Moored for the Poachers Pocket

Rain at last

2 locks, 10 miles. Dep 1200, turn round, arr facilities 1215. Dep 1240, arr after Br 1W 1300. Dep 1335, arr 1620 Poachers Pocket.

Tue 13^th Jun Gledrid to Llangollen

We made a really early start as we didn’t want to be held up with convoys coming the other way through tunnels and across aqueducts. As we crept past moored boats at Chirk Bank, we spotted Brace Yourself, and waved at Shirley through the window. It was a bit too early for a chat.

Then came the magnificent Chirk Aqueduct, with the railway viaduct alongside, and the tunnel straight after. A boat called Claret set off in front of us, but they didn’t hold us up. We followed them through Whitehouse Tunnel, and when we came to the lift bridge at Froncysyllte, they raised it, and we lowered it. Just before the aqueduct there were lots of boats moored up, and a hire boat was diagonally across the canal trying to get out of the way. We followed Claret across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and they kindly offered to take photos of us. Although we have done it several times before, it still amazes us, travelling above tree level, in a narrow trough.

We didn’t stop at Trevor, following Claret up the feeder arm to Llangollen. There are narrow sections, where it helps to follow another boat. The views are magnificent. At Llangollen we passed the wharf where the trip boats are based, and it was thronged with people. Claret turned in the entrance to the mooring basin. We turned in, and reversed onto a pontoon.

We walked into the town, paying our mooring dues at the trip boat base - £12 per night. We did touristy things. We bought some Welsh oggies and some fudge. Sadly, the bara brith shop had closed at 3pm. We had an ice cream, and then a drink in the Corn Mill and a meal in the Deeside Café. That was good value. We spotted some dippers on the rocks in the river.

Walking back, we took the long way round to avoid a steep hill, but Hazel had problems with her legs swelling up, and we had overdone it. At least we didn’t have to cook back on board. The pontoons are not full length, so James was not able to clean all the debris off the roof as he would have liked.

We sat in the bows and relaxed instead.