Whittington - lllangollen 1st timers

[zeberdy]

Hi all,

 

We are embarking on our first canal holiday shortly travelling from whittington - llangollen and would appreciate any answers to the questions below:

 

 

1. What would be the approx cruising time from whittington to llangollen ? so we can work out a schedule .

 

2. Can anyone suggest any good stopping points en route i.e pubs that serve good food, places of interest etc.

 

3. This being our first canal Holiday we are unsure what to expect we are caravanners so should be able to adapt to the facilities available and small space. Are there any items that you would recommend we take with us that will not be supplied on a hire boat.

 

4. looking on the British waterways map it would appear that thier are only 3 locks that we will encounter shortly after leaving whittington in the direction of llangollen can anyone confirm this?

 

There will be 4 children & 4 adults aboard a seventy footer so here's hoping for some better weather !!!

 

 

Thanks Zeberdy

[bottle]

Hi all,

 

We are embarking on our first canal holiday shortly travelling from whittington - llangollen and would appreciate any answers to the questions below:

 

 

1. What would be the approx cruising time from whittington to llangollen ? so we can work out a schedule .

 

2. Can anyone suggest any good stopping points en route i.e pubs that serve good food, places of interest etc.

 

3. This being our first canal Holiday we are unsure what to expect we are caravanners so should be able to adapt to the facilities available and small space. Are there any items that you would recommend we take with us that will not be supplied on a hire boat.

 

4. looking on the British waterways map it would appear that thier are only 3 locks that we will encounter shortly after leaving whittington in the direction of llangollen can anyone confirm this?

 

There will be 4 children & 4 adults aboard a seventy footer so here's hoping for some better weather !!!

 

 

Thanks Zeberdy

 

 

 

Hi Zeberdy

 

Welcome to the world of narrowboats, usual warning it can become addictive.

 

I do not know the LLangollen well enough to answer your questions, many on here will so hang around.

 

May I suggest that you obtain a guide, there are many, Nicholsons and Pearsons are just two of the more well known.

 

You could also look at this site Canalplan, this has a route planner (towards top left).

 

Have a great holiday and when completed come back and give the benefit of your experience, promise not to laugh at you but with you.

[NB Willawaw]

Are you hiring from Maestermyn at Whittington ?

 

The journey to Llangollen is about 14 miles and I make it only two locks at Marton, the two aqueducts and the two tunnels. The aqueducts are fantastic.

If there were no other boats, thats about 5-6 hours continuous cruising.

The unknown factor is how busy it will be and how long you will have to wait to get through.

 

Have a great time.

 

Mark

[Christine]

Hi Zeberdy and welcome!

 

Essentials on my packing list would be:

 

A decent sharp cooking knife - hire boats provide some but I like my favourite sharp knife.

On a 70' boat we find 2way radio invaluable - you can't shout 70' to folks up front easily

'Bog' standard loo rolls - quilted stuff can bung up macerators if they are installed on your boat.

Don't take suitcases - they take up too much room, use holdall type bags

Decent boots for locking, walking etc.

Bin bags for soggy clothes esp. if someone falls in ( I know this to be true)

Antiseptic wipes for cuts/canal water

Binoculars can be useful to see if locks ahead are occupied

High power torch for walking along towpaths back from the pub in the dark

£30-50,000 to buy a NB on return, because it is addictive

 

 

A warning - there have been a spate of thefts of car keys off hire boats (Alvechurch I think) where thieves have broken in unoccupied boats, nicked car keys and then stolen cars back at the hire base - keep you car keys safe. (More about this on the Narrowboatworld site)

 

Have a great trip

 

Chrissie

[khaffra]

I would recommend a set of walky talky's if you go all the way to Llangollen as the last part is single width round several corners. so you need to send someone ahead to make sure nothing is coming the other way.

 

Also watch the side weirs on the locks on this canal as they can be very fierce.

[zeberdy]

Are you hiring from Maestermyn at Whittington ?

 

Thanks for the all the replies and useful information looking forward to it I am sure the Admiral will soon get the hang of steering a seventy footer through the narrows.

 

Any thoughts on the above do they turn out reasonable boats or are they rowing boats ?

 

any more suggestions on stopping places and places to visit on foot en route welcome.

 

Great site will post details of our adventure on return.

 

 

 

Zeberdy

Edited May 25, 2006 by zeberdy

[NB Willawaw]

Can't comment on the quality of their boats. Stopped there for water once - very helpful people.

[Top Lock]

We were at Maestermyn last week - thay had several boats in and they looked excellent.

The Ponty aqueduct is fantastic but there can be a wait. Don't be tempted into the Telford pub at the Trevor Basin - it is horrible.

In Llangollen itself, can highly reccomend The Mill - over the Dee bridge, first street on the right. It has a fantastic deck over the Dee, does great food and brilliant beer.

Have a great trip.

[mikevye]

Don't Know if you've commenced your hols but in the abscence of dates I will input the following. 3 mph without locks 2mph with is the general rule of thumb. Get the large sheet maps available at shops along the canal and the rule of thumb is quite accurate for three miles using the scale. Anyone who has travelled towards Llangollen will know how fierce the current can be indeed across the aquaduct if the boat is steered straight ahead you will get nowhere fast. steering slightly to oneside will overcome this. Jack Mytons is OK but the licensee is from another planet, Lion Quays is upmarket with lovely moorings while the poachers pocket just around the corner has online moorings with pub grub menus. After that its all downhill to Llan

the sun trevor is a good stop over but the real jewel in the crown is gails winebar in Llan itself. Opens at six be there then to get a table and stay till the end and get absolutely legless on good food and wine.

[Christine]

Don't Know if you've commenced your hols but in the abscence of dates I will input the following. 3 mph without locks 2mph with is the general rule of thumb. Get the large sheet maps available at shops along the canal and the rule of thumb is quite accurate for three miles using the scale. Anyone who has travelled towards Llangollen will know how fierce the current can be indeed across the aquaduct if the boat is steered straight ahead you will get nowhere fast. steering slightly to oneside will overcome this. Jack Mytons is OK but the licensee is from another planet, Lion Quays is upmarket with lovely moorings while the poachers pocket just around the corner has online moorings with pub grub menus. After that its all downhill to Llan

the sun trevor is a good stop over but the real jewel in the crown is gails winebar in Llan itself. Opens at six be there then to get a table and stay till the end and get absolutely legless on good food and wine.

 

 

We tried Gales Winebar in Llangollen but thought it was a bit pricey and nothing much to choses from on the Menu - it was March tho'

 

Chrissie

 

A few pics of our trip:

 

 

I keep saying that its downhill into Llangollen

 

 

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

[Alec Gatherer]

Can I throw in a couple of hints?

If you like books, there's a fantastic secondhand bookshop in Llangollen - in the old cinema, halfway along the main street. Upstairs. Huge. Pricey, though, but a good browse.

Also, a very pleasant couple of hours' walk along the feeder to Horseshoe Falls. Entertaining, quite pretty in places, and a motor/canal museum!

Hope these are still there. Someone will advise if not, I'm sure.