Welcome to Wales

We crossed  into Wales today, via our first aqueduct, high above the River Ceiriog, and travelled through the Chirk tunnel, which is 421 metres long, and very, very dark. The tunnel is narrow and only one boat fits in the canal at a time, so if someone is coming towards you, all you can do is wait until they have cleared the tunnel to begin your crossing. You can’t actually see the boats in the tunnel because it is so dark, so everyone needs to have a headlight on the boat for visibility. It was very busy this afternoon, and ended up with a bit of a traffic jam at both ends as there were lots of boats going either way. In the end, four or five would come through one way, then some the other way. Anyhow, people were patient and waited their turn, so it was not a problem.




We’ve found a lovely spot right next to the path into town, and this afternoon trekked up to Chirk Castle, a 1.5mile walk, uphill all the way. It was much easier coming back down! Chirk Castle belongs to the National Trust and dates back to the 13th century, when it was built as a medieval fortress along the Welsh English border to keep the Welsh under English rule. Eventually it became home to some of the most important men of the era, changing hands many times. It has now been restored inside as well as having beautiful gardens and acres of parkland. 










After our long walk this afternoon, we decided to have dinner in town at Castle Bistro, then headed back to the boat for an easy night. 

Comments

  1. Neville CannSeptember 29, 2025 at 3:48 AM

    What a lot of new experiences. Aqueduct, tunnel and Wales. Do you have to pay mooring fees when you stop or is it just free? Enjoyed seeing your living spaces in the boat. Looks snug. We gather by your clothes it is quite cool. At moment we are sitting outside having coffee in the sunshine. Thanks again for the photos. We are having a virtual tour. Interesting that there are so many boats given the season. Must be popular way to travel.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Europe Trip 2025September 29, 2025 at 10:08 PM

    The boat works really well, Neville. You are free to stay anywhere along the canal on the towpath side, as long as it isn't a water point, sewer point, or private property and we have stayed in some beautiful, serene spots. There are marinas where you pay, but also have access to facilities, but so far we have just moored on the canal side. The weather has been kind, we have only had a couple of showers of rain, apart from the day we loaded the boat, when it was pouring with rain all day and we were absolutely drenched by the time we had everything on board.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Great video of us crossing the Chirk Aqueduct

Peter Salisbury took this video of us crossing the iconic Chirk Aqueduct. On our return trip from Llangollen we crossed this as well as the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct which is the longest canal aqueduct in Great Britain, and the highest canal aqueduct in the world. Standing 39 metres above the River Dee, the Pontcysyllte aqueduct is 307 metres long and is constructed of an iron trough supported by 18 hollow masonry piers. It was designed by civil engineer Thomas Telford and built over about a 10 year period and was completed in 1805. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and recognised as an engineering masterpiece of the industrial revolution and it was very special to travel both ways over both aqueducts.     
Read more

Tour of our narrowboat 'Southern Cross'

Image
I thought you might like a tour of our narrowboat ‘Southern Cross’, our home for the next three months. Apart from being very long, at 65 feet, she is just 6ft 10in wide, which is the maximum width to fit through the locks. Starting from the stern, there is a small platform with the tiller which steers the boat.     From there, small double doors lead down directly into the galley. The galley has a full size gas stove with grill and oven, small fridge, sink and cupboards. Next to the galley is the dining/sitting area that comprises two bench seats and a table that can be removed.   There is another larger table but we have found the small one is easier to live with. We leave it at the end during the day, and move it into the centre of the seats at dinner time. From the galley there is a passageway past a bathroom with shower, basin and toilet, next is our bedroom, followed by a ‘spare’ room that can be either a sitting area or bedroom, which we have set up as seating, the...
Read more

Wow, what a spectacular drive.

Image
Leaving Glasgow this morning, we had several stops in mind but no idea how spectacular the scenery would be for the entire journey. Our first stop was Loch Lomond, beautiful in the morning light. A little further along we began to see snow on the mountain tops, which I hadn't really expected although someone later told us there is usually late snow after lambing time, which is now. A little further along we stopped to view the Falls of Falloch and then drove on through the wonderful Rannoch Moorlands. The pyramid shaped mountain is Buachaille Etive Mor, and marks the entrance to Glen Ative. We'd heard about Glen Etive, which features in the James Bond film, Skyfall, as well as Braveheart, so we took a detour from the main road for several miles along the single lane track that led through the stunning Scottish Highlands as far as the Glen Etive waterfall. It was just magic. For perspective, in the last photo, on the right hand edge of the picture, you can see a tiny white spot ...
Read more