From p.s.saunders@dial.pipex.comSun Sep 28 09:27:04 1997 Date: Sun, 21 Sep 1997 17:22:48 From: Philip Saunders Reply to: canals@blacksheep.org To: canals@blacksheep.org Subject: Llangollen trip report (long) Header information:- participants:- Philip Saunders, Anne (my wife), Barrie (my father) Shiela (my mother) Boat:- Tormund Hirer:- Viking Afloat Route:- Whitchurch - Llangollen (SU) Sunday 14th September 1997 We collected our narrowboat "Tormund" ffrom Viking Afloat at Whitchurch at 1430. After unloading our kit we waited for my parents to arrive which they duly did about 15 minutes later. We were given a good tour round the boat and a briefing about using the canals. This was not complete (no mention of slowing down for moored boats/fishermen etc). After tea and jam sponge cake we set off towards Llangollen. A member of the staff accompanied us to the first lift bridge to make sure that we were not total incompetents. As it was getting on for 5 o'clock now, we decided to head for bridge 43 and have our meal at the Waggoners. The countryside here is nice without being spectacular, but the trip was enlivened by good views of a kingfisher. When we arrived there already 3 boats moored, but we managed to moor near the bridge. As we tied up I saw a swallow flying round in an agitated manner making a call I had never heard before. The reason was soon aparent when a sparrowhawk flew across the canal and perched on a tree. It was soon being mobbed by other birds and flew languidly off over the bridge. We had our meal at the Waggoners - nice food, tolerable beer, clueless barman, rather slow service. We returned and were soon in bed, but were constantly woken by the water pump and we couldn't find out how to switch it off. In the morning we decided that perhaps the switch labelled "water pump" hiden behind the bread bin would do the trick, and it did. Monday 15th September 1997 Setting off about 9 o'clock we made good progress along this almost lock free stretch of canal. The scenery here and the straitness of this part give it an East Anglian feeling. There were strong winds and these caused some problems, particularly when we got to Hampton Bank and the elevated section after the Prees branch. We stopped for lunch near Cole Mere and afterwards watched the Great Crested Grebes on Blake Mere. We wanted to take water at Ellesmere, but the sighting is not good on the approach to the basin and as I came in I was taken aback by the amount of boats there, many still there after the NABO(?) meeting. The water point was occupied and as I dithered, pondering the next move, the wind caught the bow and forced us towards the town arm and nothing I could do would stop us. Luckily there was a vacant berth near the entrance on the far bank and we moored there (more by luck than judgement) to think about our next move while my mother and Anne went to the town for some butter. The towpath is good here which is just as well as my wife uses a wheelchair. After ten minutes watching other boaters cope (or not) with the wind, it seemed to drop a bit so we took the chance to turn and pinch an empty mooring at the water point. Fully watered we set off for the Narrowboat Inn at Maestermyn, collected my wife and mother en-route. This was our proposed venue for the night. When we arrived, however, we were unable to find a mooring within wheelchair distance and accessability of the Inn, so we decided to push on to "Jack Myttons" at Hindford. We were about to pass under one of those bridges on blind bends which are the speciality of the Llangollen when we realised another boat was approaching. The situation got worse when we realised it was a hotel boat pair and we had a boat following us about 20 yards astern. Chaos ensued, any with a video camera would have had a field day and a superb comedy film! Suffice to say the helmsman of the hotel boat was magnanimous about the bumps and bangs. We were grateful to arrive at Hindford at 5 o'clock. The food was superb and I had a nice 'hoppy' Myttons Own bitter or two. And so to bed. Tuesday 16th September 1997 We set off from Hindford at about 8 o'clock with the aim of reaching the Sun Trevor and mooring there and going in to Llangollen on Wednesday morning. The New Marton locks were both easy to work and did not delay us. There moorings by the post office at Chirk Bank were the venue for lunch and re-victualling with milk and bread. A breezy journey was taken over the aquaduct followed by a diesel fume filled voyage through Chirk Tunnel. Pressing on past the Black Prince marina we came to Whitehurst Tunnel. We found these tunnels hard work against the current with the engine revs high producing a lot of choking fumes. The flow o water contingually pushed the boat over towards the non- towpath side. Pontcysylte aquaduct was, as expect, spectacular, if rather unnerving for those who do not like heights. The offside seems to have had railings at one time, or were there holes prepared without the railings ever being fitted? Turning left at Trevor, we pressed on into the mountains of Wales. There seemed to be a mass exdous from Llangollen by the amount of boats we passed. Arriving at the Sun Trevor we found it was right by a busy road and we decided that we did not fancy staying the night there, so we pressed on to Llangollen. It seemed likely we would find a mooring given the number of boats going the other way. After being delayed a number of times on the narrow stretches by yet more boats leaving town, we arrived and found one mooring left just below the water point. Goodness knows where the rest of all those boats we saw leaving had been moored. As we did not want the task of returning with the wheelchair after dark up the steep road, my father and I walked into town for fish and chips. so the day ended with a fish supper and a game of scrabble. Question:- Is the flow of water in the canal solely caused by the input of water at the horseshoe falls and the output at the other end or is the Llangollen end higher than the other with a very gentle gradient? Wednesday 17th September 1997 At Llangollen all day. In the morning, we took the boat up, filled up with water and turned. However we ended up further down the moorings as someone had "pinched" our spot. My wife and mother went to town to look at the shops, not an easy task getting down with the wheelchair. My father and I took the steam train to Carrog and back. A well earned lunched was taken after I had pushed the wheelchair back up the hill. In the afternoon I walked to Plas Newydd (about 15 minutes walk). after a pleasant visit I walked back, and was much taken with the fact that Welsh accents are hard to hear in this town, even the children leaving school seemed to be English. Later, after tea, I walked to the Horseshoe Falls, (about an hour and a half including a look at Llantsilio Church). Thursday 18th September 1997 A leisurely start was made at about 0930 with misty weather clearing to reveal glorious sunshine and we pottered down to Trevor, frequently having to wait at the narrow stretches. Water and ice creams were taken in the basin which necessitated another turn. The second, return, trip over Ponty- whatsit aquaduct was no less exciting than the first and a gentle cruise soon took us to Chirk where we intended to stop the night. We moored for the night. The moorings are in a deep cutting which precedes Chirk tunnel. My parents took a wander into the town whilst I walked up to Chirk Castle. (about thirty minutes each way by footpath, slightly longer by roads) There was an autumnal haze in the air by this time and the walk up was pleasant through the avenues of great trees which had some very interesting looking fungi on them. As I looked round the castle, a thin drizzle started so I went for a cuppa in the hope that it would clear up, which it did. So I went round the gardens and slipped on some wet grass and hurt my arm. Deciding to go back immediately, I nevertheless got a soaking when the rain resumed and got back to the boat in a sorry state. My parents had bought the makings for a curry in town as the path up to the road was far too steep for a wheelchair, so we ate onboard again. I went to bed early nursing a painful arm. Friday 19th September 1997 It was a rainy night and very damp beneath the trees in the Chirk cutting. The boat was so damp in the morning that the matches left by the stove would not light. A few hours with the central heating on cured that. A quick trip through the tunnnel across the aquaduct and round the corner took us to Chirk Bank post office for bread, milk and rose painted gifts. After elevenses we resumed our voyage. Hurridly by-passing the Little Chef at bridge 17 and its noisy A5 road, we tootled on to New Marton locks and actually had to wait at both locks. It is hard to believe that you are at the same level as that hillside above Llangollen in the middle of the mountains. Lunch was taken near "Jack Myttons" pub and a visit paid to N.B. High Lady for more painted canal ware. Frankton locks looked tempting and there can be no doubt that the Montgomery canal will be popular when it is open. But we pushed on towards Ellesmere where we took water and moored right at the top of the arm for the night. Our evening meal was taken at the Black Lion. The beer there is Marston's, but it wasn't the best pint of Pedigree I have tasted. The food was very good, except for the dessert list. Again early to bed, all the fresh country air making me tired. My arm on the mend. Saturday 20th September 1997 Almost at the end of the holiday now. The day started cold and breezy, but cheered up slightly towards the end. Before we left I took a stroll into town to get the papers take a look at the famous Vermuelen & sons delicatessen on Cross Street. It was well worth the trip, I defy any slimmer to visit it and leave with their diet intact! After setting off, we paused to look at the meres again and went on to Bettisfield. However, the shop mentioned in Pearson does not seem to exist any more. Likewise The Barn was closed. We had intended to moor by bridge 43 and visit The Waggoners for our evening meal again, but we had arrived by 2 o'clock and so decided to go on to Whitchurch. We moored, out of sheer idleness, in Viking Afloat's boatyard and took the car into town for our evening meal. Intending to go to the Victoria Hotel mentioned in Pearson to eat, we found it closed and shut up. So we went to the Old Town Hall Vaults, another Marstons pub. The food was much better than the sparse menu suggested and the service very good. My wife drove back to the boat as I had indulged in a few pints. (medicinal for my arm!) Sunday 21st September 1997 As we were already at the boatyard, all we had to do was pack. We parted from my parents already discussing another canal holiday in the near future. Observations:- 1. Too many boats were unconcerned about slowing down for moored boats, hired boats being by no means the only offenders. There was also a lot of speeding. I regularly built up a queue of boats behind me and had to let them pass and I wasn't going particularly slowly. The worst offender was Myfannwy of the Llangollen Canal Trust which when I passed going along with a bow-wave which a frigate would have been proud of. Admittedly both banks were piled, but nevertheless..... 2. The best time to find a mooring at Llangollen seems to be about 1100 till about 1500. (only based on one day's observation though!) 3. We will definitely get a boat with two fixed doubles next time, it is a pain making up a bed every night and inconvenient if someone sleeping at the table end wants an early night. 4. We used Pearson's guide which we found useful, but I should have taken my O.S. map to supplement it. 5. Roll on next time, now where shall we go? Sandy Saunders Worcester