Llangollen recommendations

[georgezippybungle]

hello

Am going for a week on the LLangollen starting this saturday. Have looked at maps and done some reading but there's no substitute for experience. We are a crew of 4 fittish types.

So the questions I have are?

 

Will I get from Swanley to Llangollen and back in a week without cruising all the hours? I am aware of the flow of the canal.

Any good pub/attraction/places to moor recommendations en route?

Anything to avoid?

Anything closed currently?

Edited April 23, 2008 by georgezippybungle

[Liam]

According to the Canal Route Planner...

 

Total distance is 85 miles, 1¼ flg and 32 locks. There are at least 20 moveable bridges of which 2 are usually left open; ; 6 tunnels and 4 major aqueducts.

 

Made up of 85 miles, 1¼ furlongs of narrow canals; 32 narrow locks.

 

This will take 43 hours, 16 minutes which is 4 days, 7 hours and 16 minutes at 9 hours per day.

 

For calculation purposes, this is taken as 5 days.

[The Toad in the Hole]

hello

 

Will I get from Swanley to Llangollen and back in a week without cruising all the hours? I am aware of the flow of the canal.

 

I'd have thought so. I've done Chirk to Middlewich in 2.5 ( long!!) days The extra flow isn't really noticable when you are cruising apart from the last half day from the A5 up to llan. Having said that you need to take care on the aproach to the locks.

 

Your biggest problem is the other traffic. there are a lot of hire fleets operating there now and there is a lot more traffic even in the 6 or so years I've been moored up here. You might find big queues at Grindley Brook, but also at the two Marton locks - I've been in queues of 15+ boats there on occassion. Standards of helming are also widely varied - you meet a lot of complete novices, but also some very experienced boats

 

 

Any good pub/attraction/places to moor recommendations en route?

I enjoy mooring at Wrenbury, for the two pubs and the boaty buzz there.

The shop by Grindley Brook lock is good. Whitchurch is a suprisingly long walk in from the canal.

The pub near Whixhall (Wagon and horses??) was a lovely local but is currently a smouldering ruin

Fenns and Whixhall Mosses are fantastic - adders, carniverous plants, curlews, lapwings, bog asphodel. But then again it depends if you get excited about bogs

 

The Jack Mitton (Mad Jacks) is a spendid pub. I'd avoid the Lion Quays - it looks better than it is, which is an overpriced Chef&Brewer type thing. If that's what you want, try the poachers pocket 10 mins further on.

 

Chirks a nice little town - if you've got half a day, walk up to the Nat. Trust castle.

 

The Accy is fantastic, but you know that. That and the two tunnels are another potential bottlekneck. On a good day you are 3 hours to Llan from Chirk aquaduct, on a bad (busy) day you can add another 2 hours. The Sun at Trevor is an ok pub with nearby moorings. Remember BW will fleece you for £6 when you get to Llan proper. There's all the usual tourist fun there - fudge, teatowels, steam trains. The Cornmill is seriously good, down by the river, but can get busy. Good food, good beer and the best (officially, according to The Observer) view from a pub in Britain. Have to say in Llan, I tend to go in the Sun on the A5 towards Chirk Excellent beer, a lovely husky pub dog, live music and a juke box cram jam full of 1970s prog rock classics - Yes, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull etc.

 

Remember to send someone ahead at the narrows, 'cos the incompetent eejit coming the other way WONT!

 

My favourite mooring is to spend a night at the top of the Montgomery - very peaceful and you are off the main line for getting banged about by late early boats.

Avoid mooring on spikes, a lot of boats on here won't slow down to pass and I've seen a lot of boats adrift of their moorings with their mooring pins in the drink as a result.

 

Watch out for the shabby little green boat with a Toad on the tiller and an enormous black labrador hanging off the back

[Jim]

hello

Am going for a week on the LLangollen starting this saturday. Have looked at maps and done some reading but there's no substitute for experience. We are a crew of 4 fittish types.

So the questions I have are?

 

Will I get from Swanley to Llangollen and back in a week without cruising all the hours? I am aware of the flow of the canal.

Any good pub/attraction/places to moor recommendations en route?

Anything to avoid?

Anything closed currently?

 

Went up there before Easter and it was busy with hire boats then, so I'd certainly allow for delays at locks. The town of Ellesmere is well worth a visit - and I can recommend the "Black Lion" for food and drink. Whixall Moss Nature Reserve also certainly worth a walk round - but take the advice to moor on the Prees Branch rather than the main line - we were nearly blown away by a hire boat coming past flat out with a bow wave of Severn Bore proportions!

 

I agree that Chirk is worth a visit as is the Castle, although its a fair way from the canal (and the Castle itself is just as far again from the gate!). Whitchurch, on the other hand, is probably not worth the effort.

 

It'll cost you £6 to stop overnight at Llangollen itself - we stayed just outside near to the lift bridge that's left open (can't remember the number) and walked into town from there.

 

It always seems strange to me that once you get past Grindley Brook, which is well within Shropshire, is nearly flat all the way to Llangollen even though you definitely get the feeling that you are heading into the mountains of Wales.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[Tim Lewis]

hello

Am going for a week on the LLangollen starting this saturday. Have looked at maps and done some reading but there's no substitute for experience. We are a crew of 4 fittish types.

So the questions I have are?

 

Will I get from Swanley to Llangollen and back in a week without cruising all the hours? I am aware of the flow of the canal.

Any good pub/attraction/places to moor recommendations en route?

Anything to avoid?

Anything closed currently?

 

Have already posted the link once but I have posted a few pictures of my trip on the top end of the canal last weekend at:

 

http://www.pbase.com/timlewis/llangollen_canal_april_2008

 

A trip on the steam railway is a must!

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

Tim

[pwl]

We have done the Llangollen 3 times now. We normally run long to get there then saunter back. We normally moor at Sun Trevor the night before we want to be in Llangollen and in the morning get up early wait for the early leavers to pass us then we head in. That way you know there are moorings. On the way back plan a stop at the meres by Ellesmere. In Llangollen if you want a good resturaunt go to Gales. First or second street on the left after crossing the bridge. There is a huge second hand bookshop above a small cafe on the left on the main street if you are into books. Pubs, cant remember the name but go up to the end of the main street the turn left and go about 500 yards there is a good pub. The ruins of Dinas Bran (on the hill) and an abbey (bit more of a walk) are worth a visit as is Horeshoe falls (head of the canal) and the nearby church. One thing to remember is that the Llangollen is used to carry water to the reservoir at Hurleston so has a current unlike most of the canal system. Lock spilways can run hard and kick you off course as you hed into locks going up the canal. I hope this is of help and that you enjoy your holiday.

 

P

[fender]

Chirk is worth a visit as is the Castle, although its a fair way from the canal (and the Castle itself is just as far again from the gate!).

 

If you can stop over in Chirk marina, its a short walk to the castle. Best try in the week when the marina isnt turning round its boats

[stewey]

georgezippybungle, I am following this thread with great personal interest as we have a week on the Llangollen in May (from Ellesmere).

 

I have also spotted another couple of threads which might be of interest to you:

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...p;hl=LLangollen

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...p;hl=LLangollen

 

Have a great trip.

 

Stewey

[brown]

If you stop just after the first tunnel, it's an even shorter walk to the castle.

[rojomo]

Hi,

 

Last June we managed Market Drayton to LLangolen and return in a week with lots of long days cruising. However the summer days were long we thouroughly enjoyed our trip. No great delays but.....try to be at Grindley Brook (going either way) at crack of dawn and have the place to yourself. For the LLangollen narrows try to have two way radio or mobile phone communication for those sent ahead just to let your crew know the situation.

 

Regards

 

John

[sueb]

Plan to arrive at Llangollen by midday as ther is 4 or 5hrs ( depends on which notices you read) free mooring. Lovely deli at Ellesmere, Verluman or something similar, and fresh food at the Market on Tuesdays

Sue

[thomasthetanker]

Agree with Sueb, beautiful deli in Ellesmere, made our holiday a bit more special.

Make sure you keep mobiles in your jeans pocket rather than your mac because they don't float.

[dor]

Make sure you keep mobiles in your jeans pocket rather than your mac because they don't float.

 

The voice of experience?

[OGGDOG]

I must agree the DEli in Ellsmere is out of this world, worth going for, also if you moor in Chirk mariana and wonder up to the golf club you are more than welcome to go in and have a drink/snack or meal, very reasonable as well, plus sit outside on the veranda and take in the views while you are having a pint.(have one for me)

[tullemor1]

hello

Am going for a week on the LLangollen starting this saturday. Have looked at maps and done some reading but there's no substitute for experience. We are a crew of 4 fittish types.

So the questions I have are?

 

Will I get from Swanley to Llangollen and back in a week without cruising all the hours? I am aware of the flow of the canal.

Any good pub/attraction/places to moor recommendations en route?

Anything to avoid?

Anything closed currently?

 

We did the Llangollen canal 4 years ago and our best pub on that trip was "The Sun" in Llangollen. We are also in our fifties and the pub plays blues music from the 70s. Old ladies became like new as we walked in the door.

 

A nice place to eat in Llangollen is the Bridge End Inn, which served delicious traditional British food, and if the weather is nice (which it actually IS sometimes in Britain) go to the Mill.