Llangollen canal 3 night short break

[Renee]

Hi, I'm booking this for a group of 8 people and am anxious to get it right and make sure that everyone has a great time. Because it's only a short holiday we won't be able to go very far along the canal before we need to turn back, so I want to start from the best place to see most of the main attractions. I've found boats available from Trevor - is this a good option?

We'll be on the canal over the August bank holiday, I know that it will be busy, will horrendously so?

Any advice that you can give will be very much appreciated, this is my first ever experiance on a canal boat so it's all very confusing - but exciting!

Thank you,

[little duck!]

Hi, it's all a matter of personal choice but yes August bank holiday will probably be very busy. This means you could spend quite a bit of time waiting to go over the aquaduct and through tunnels. Of course if you are wanting to "do" the aquaduct trevor is an obvious place to hire from but doesnt give you any experience before yoo are on the aquaduct. This personally would worry me but i must be one of the few people who doesnt like the aquaduct, fear of heights etc so thats up to you. If you dont mind missing the aquaduct there are various other bases to hire from and some fantasctic scenery, Grindley Brook, Wrenbury, to name a few. Its all a matter of what suits your group but i suspect it will be busy so be prepared to have some delays, although this gives you the chance to talk to other boaters and put the kettle on! Don't stress too much about all the details ( which is hard when you are organising it all) but relax and enjoy! Oh and let us know how you get on!

[Renee]

Hi, Little duck and thank you for your reply.

I think that everyone is keen to do the aqueduct so will stop stressing and be prepared to go with the flow (literally). I'm going to get it booked. I'll definitely let you know how we get on. xx

[Paul C]

Chirk is another viable option. But consider the others too. Maestermyn Cruisers are near enough. I can't remember who hires from Blackwater Meadow marina but a quick flick in the book suggests they might be near enough too. Beware, some firms don't do short break (3 days) in the 'high season' - and they may well be all booked up by now too.

[arbutus]

Starting from Trevor sounds as good as starting from anywhere else for your first trip, although there are parts of the canal in both directions that are very narrow so your boat passing and manoeuvring skills will be quickly tested.

Depending on the time you pick the boat up from Trevor you could head up to Llangollen and stay overnight, plenty of placed to eat and drink. In a couple of places on the way to Llangollen the canal is very narrow and you need to send a crew member ahead to check that no boats are coming the other way before you proceed. Heading In the other direction, the two aqueducts are easy when once you have the pointy bit of the boat in the channel, the aqueduct is barely wider than the boat’s width so the boat just chugs over the aqueduct.

For a three day trip I would bring all the provisions needed for the whole trip, you don’t want to worry about shopping while on holiday. Decide whether you are going to eat on the boat or go for pub / restaurant for meals. If eating out, then the whole day needs to be planned so that you get to the pub at the right time as you will average less than three miles an hour on the boat on that canal.

Finally, make sure you have a canal guide that shows the turning points where you can turn the boat and start heading back to base. I met a boat a few years ago on the Llangollen which had missed the turning point they needed and were forced to continue through three locks (with queues) then turn the boat and come back through the same locks. It caused them a lot of stress and difficulty getting the boat back on time.

[john6767]

Starting from Trevor sounds as good as starting from anywhere else for your first trip, although there are parts of the canal in both directions that are very narrow so your boat passing and manoeuvring skills will be quickly tested.

Depending on the time you pick the boat up from Trevor you could head up to Llangollen and stay overnight, plenty of placed to eat and drink. In a couple of places on the way to Llangollen the canal is very narrow and you need to send a crew member ahead to check that no boats are coming the other way before you proceed. Heading In the other direction, the two aqueducts are easy when once you have the pointy bit of the boat in the channel, the aqueduct is barely wider than the boats width so the boat just chugs over the aqueduct.

For a three day trip I would bring all the provisions needed for the whole trip, you dont want to worry about shopping while on holiday. Decide whether you are going to eat on the boat or go for pub / restaurant for meals. If eating out, then the whole day needs to be planned so that you get to the pub at the right time as you will average less than three miles an hour on the boat on that canal.

Finally, make sure you have a canal guide that shows the turning points where you can turn the boat and start heading back to base. I met a boat a few years ago on the Llangollen which had missed the turning point they needed and were forced to continue through three locks (with queues) then turn the boat and come back through the same locks. It caused them a lot of stress and difficulty getting the boat back on time.

Sounds good advice to me. We were in Llangollen last August and it is quietest over the weekend as most hire boats change round Friday/Saturday so get there mid week.

[NickF]

The aqueduct is no problem ... once you are on it you can't steer anyway so nothing can go wrong, the boat will just take itself across! Have a great time ... it's a great canal but I must admit i prefer the quieter areas of the canal system!

[GRLMK38]

This time last year we embarked on our first short break canal holiday from Trevor aboard "Merlin". What a great introduction to narrowboating! We headed across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct within the first 10 minutes (don't look down ).

 

Based on our timings, Ellesmere is within easy reach and your may make as far as the winding hole near Blake Mere before having to turn for home . If you have the time, the branch from Prees Junction to Whixall Marina is a great escape from the main cut but this would need lots of hours at the tiller.

 

Do not underestimate the speed of flow on the return journey, somewhere around 1-2 mph against you and possibly more through the tunnels! We got shouted at by a "volunteer boat" for going too slow! (Everyone else was friendly).

 

We chose to drive into Lllangollen after leaving the boat rather than use a day getting there and back. Either way the Lllangollen is wonderful.... if in doubt, flip a coin.

 

We're heading for the Cheshire Ring in September, can't wait.

[Renee]

Thank you everyone for your very helpful replies. I really do appreciate the advice that you have givn me. I've gone ahead and booked the canal boat and can hardly wait. I'll let you know how we get on,

GRLMK38, I hope that you have a wonderful time on the Cheshire Ring.