Llangollen canal max draft

[Cloudinspector]

We would like to do the Llangollen canal this year but our draft is 2'6". Does this rule it out?

[journeyperson]

Our last boat was 27" and that went up there several times. I've heard people say they've done it in boats of 3' draft, but we did occasionally scrape the bottom on the stretch above Trevor.

[David Mack]

Its a few years since we've been up, but at 3 ft draft it was mostly fine. Got stuck in a couple of bridgeholes going up but got through in the end. At 2' 6" you should be fine.

[Machpoint005]

My boat is the finished article, so it has a draught.

[nicknorman]

Ours draws 2' 8.5" and we made it up, although it was a bit of a struggle in a few places. 2'6" should be fine.

[dor]

Friends in a 3ft draught Hudson got up to the basin at the top a couple of years ago. Struggled a bit with a couple of places, but took it steady and got there.

[john6767]

Friends in a 3ft draught Hudson got up to the basin at the top a couple of years ago. Struggled a bit with a couple of places, but took it steady and got there.

Perhaps they were the people coming up when we were there a couple of years ago. We waited to come down the top narrows for some time as a Hudson made its very slow way up, they said their draft was over 3ft, but they made it.

[Alan de Enfield]

The Llangollen is fed by the river Dee and the depth can fluctuate by several inches during dry / wet weather, the canal also feeds the resevoirs that supply Stoke etc with drinking water.

The depth will depend on both the volume of water being fed in (from the Dee) and the amount being taken out at the 'bottom' end.

 

You can get a 3 foot draught boat up sometimes, sometimes you may well struggle with a 2 foot 6 inch draught boat,

 

The only answer is to try it and see.

[fretman]

we had ours up several times now, on 2'-6" draft, R.W.Davis Northwich, boat

[Wanderer Vagabond]

We would like to do the Llangollen canal this year but our draft is 2'6". Does this rule it out?

We went up in ours last year with a draught of 2'10" and, as others have said it was slow in places (the narrows approaching Llangollen particularly) I never had the feeling that we weren't going to make it. The only place we seriously dragged the bottom was at Number 2 Lock at Hurleston when I couldn't get over the cill into the pound below Number 1 Lock until we'd let a whole lot more water in. The method we used to go through the narrows approaching Llangollen was to run the engine at about 1200 revs, anything above this just makes you go slower as a hire boat who we had to wait for found out as they had been flogging the guts out of their engine and it took them over 20 minutes to get through the first narrows (about 1/3 of a mile!)

[dmr]

You should have only slight troubles with touching the bottom. The interesting thing is that a big boat fills the bridge 'oles, tunnels and aqueduct channels and so with the significant flow you might virtually grind to a halt. I ended up pushing us along the walls with my hands in the tunnel.

On the way back you pop out like a champagne cork. Take care coming out into the tight turn at the aquauct as you will be going faster than you intend!

 

.............Dave

[hughc]

Beware, in a deep draughted boat, of the cutting beyond Chirk tunnel. There are lumps in there, and I think they are old coping stones, that have not moved in twenty or more years. Regards, HughC.

[bassplayer]

Yes Chirk tunnel was very slow for us (2ft 6 draft) but we made it to Llangollen Ok. Just keep to the middle and enjoy!

[Keeping Up]

The tunnels are slow whatever your draught. After many times I'm still trying to work out whether it's better to increase or decrease the throttle when the flow of the water slows you down.

[roland elsdon]

Took Fenny up last year 3 foot plus draught . Ok but slow most of way, to ellesmere, Couple of complete stops at times, and dragged through mud near Welsh frankton. Gave up and turned at top of the locks at frankton, as boat was getting abused at every bridge 75 year old bottoms. Do the Prees branch its great

[Cloudinspector]

Sounds like it shouldn't be too much of a problem then. I'm not too bothered about doing the final stretch from Ruabon branch to Llangollen and would probably wind there. Our plan is to go down there prior to Middlewich FAB.

[plainsman]

We have done it on a regular basis with 3ft draft with very low revs especially over the aqueduct, through tunnels and the narrows. Faster revs only means you will squat and suck the water under the boat instead of pushing forward It helps if you run with lower levels of water and fuel if possible and dump your crew ashore through the narrows. It is inevitable you will get someone following who thinks they can go faster, if poss I let them pass or just chug on and ignore them

[dmr]

Sounds like it shouldn't be too much of a problem then. I'm not too bothered about doing the final stretch from Ruabon branch to Llangollen and would probably wind there. Our plan is to go down there prior to Middlewich FAB.

 

I'm going to upset a few people here, but I found most of the Llangollen to be a fairly bland rural canal though with a few good bits,, no great architecture and no spectacular views.

The K&A and Macc/Peak Forest all do it better. Its only the last few miles that make it all worthwhile, and earn its reputation as a spectacular canal, so it would be very sad not to go right to the end (and visit the steam railway).

 

..............Dave

[bassplayer]

Sounds like it shouldn't be too much of a problem then. I'm not too bothered about doing the final stretch from Ruabon branch to Llangollen and would probably wind there. Our plan is to go down there prior to Middlewich FAB.

Llangollen is really nice as is the run there and back, if you have the extra day or two you'll enjoy it.

[journeyperson]

The tunnels are slow whatever your draught. After many times I'm still trying to work out whether it's better to increase or decrease the throttle when the flow of the water slows you down.

 

Going through Chirk Tunnel last year I expected it to be easier in my present boat, which is shallower draught and has a bigger engine than the last one, but towards the end of the tunnel I came to a complete halt and couldn't make further progress. I was on my own so I climbed over the rail and onto the towpath and began hauling the boat the last 100 yards or so, which nearly killed me! As I eventually emerged into the daylight I could see I had a thick branch across the bow, the full width of the tunnel.

Edited February 28, 2015 by journeyperson

[David Mack]

Sounds like it shouldn't be too much of a problem then. I'm not too bothered about doing the final stretch from Ruabon branch to Llangollen and would probably wind there.

When we did it the last section was absolutely fine for depth.

[Alan de Enfield]

Although it has been shown by various reports that a 3 foot draught can get to Llangollen, according to my "The Canals Book" the maintained depths are :

 

Maximum draught 2 foot 6 inches although Trevor to Llantisilio is only 2 feet.

 

The Llangollen Canal :-

 

Length 46 miles

No of locks 21

Maximum length 70 foot

Maximum beam 6 foot 10 inches

Maximum headroom (air draught) 7 feet 6 inches

Tunnels : Ellesmere 87 yards, Whitehouses 191 yards, Chirk 459 yards

[bassplayer]

Although it has been shown by various reports that a 3 foot draught can get to Llangollen, according to my "The Canals Book" the maintained depths are :

 

Maximum draught 2 foot 6 inches although Trevor to Llantisilio is only 2 feet.

 

The Llangollen Canal :-

 

Length 46 miles

No of locks 21

Maximum length 70 foot

Maximum beam 6 foot 10 inches

Maximum headroom (air draught) 7 feet 6 inches

Tunnels : Ellesmere 87 yards, Whitehouses 191 yards, Chirk 459 yards

The Nicholsons quotes low draft figures too, it nearlly put us off going all the way to Llangollen....but it didn't, and it was well worth it in the end. We were warned about the Chesterfield too but that also turned out Ok with our 2ft 6 draft. I'm not saying it's quick though!

[David Mack]

We were warned about the Chesterfield too but that also turned out Ok with our 2ft 6 draft. I'm not saying it's quick though!

With our 3ft draught we struggled in places with depth, but it was the width of Stret Lock, since widened, that stopped us.

[bassplayer]

With our 3ft draught we struggled in places with depth, but it was the width of Stret Lock, since widened, that stopped us.

Although we managed with our draft on the Chesterfield we couldn't get through Shireoaks top lock and had to reverse back a couple of miles to turn around! It's not always about recommended draft and beam measurements, it's also about shape and things sticking out! I'm sure some locks and boats are banana shaped. If the shape doesn't fit in the hole....!!!