There was a slight delay as we had to wait for a couple of people coming over the aqueduct the opposite way, but then we were off, third in the queue.
There is something weird in this day and age at being allowed to have no safety device between you and oblivion as 'they' seek to make life risk free for everybody. Mind you I have heard that C&RT are now getting very worried by the fact that paddle boarders are now crossing the aqueduct. Is that an acceptable risk?
I could have easily towed the boat over by hand faster than we were travelling over behind the two hire boats ahead, but they are on holiday and probably never going to do it again, other than coming back again of course, so they are entitled to make the most of it. There was a little breeze across the aqueduct that combined with the flow of the water made it difficult to stop bumping up against the unsupported side that was a little disconcerting!
On the off side, where there are no rails etc., there are these square holes at regular intervals. Other than being there to bolt them onto another beam or something, I can only think that at one time there were slot in hand rails there. I seem to remember hearing that there were rails on the offside. Is that true?
After the month or so of no rain, I can't remember the last time it rained during the day anyway, I was surprised to see so much water in the River Dee when we passed over it.
The turn at Trevor is always interesting on a busy day, and I was glad that I wasn't moored up waiting to turn up towards Llangollen as a boat cam full pelt from under the bridge and stemmed the concrete before sorting himself out. I wonder what the canal through to Chester would have been like if the canal had carried on straight ahead.
Our first glimpse of Castell Dinas Bran on a very scorched hill top. We had a lot of time to observe the scenery around us as we were really crawling along. When anything came the other way it seems the standard action is to jump off with the rope, despite being on the wrong side of the canal and wait for something to happen. I wonder if they would have done the same thing if it had been silling down with rain!
The occasional break in the trees gives lovely views to the rolling hill above the Vale of Llangollen. It is no woncder the canal is such a magnet, but I think that The Rochdale, Leeds Liverpool, and even the Huddersfield can match it, just with a fair bit more work to get there!
We were talking of walking up to the castle when we got to the basin, but the heat of the recent days has made us think again and we will find something else to do I think. There was an Iron Age hill fort on the hill until after 1191 when Gryffydd Maelor died and his kingdom of Powys was divided for his two sons. Madog was granted Powys Fadog, the north, and it is thought he may have built a castle here to rule it from. That would have been a timber affair. the present castle is thought to date from 1260's when Llywelyn declared himself Prince of Wales and Madog backed him. A series of confrontation happened until 1282 when Llywelyn died and the battle was lost.
As you get closer to Llangollen the canal gets narrower and narrower and things get slower and slower. It amazes me how stressed people get about the 'one way system' in a couple of places but there were no fights or anything like that. It is just a ditch on the self on a mountain so being there at all is a miracle.
The tow path moorings were just about full and the horse boat to the Horseshoe Falls was busy with coach loads of people coming for the journey. When we got to the basin there were only about 7 of the 33 berths occupied so we were soon backed into a pontoon and the electricity on. What an amazing trip, amazing scenery and a lovely spot to end up. Next week is Eisteddfod week too.
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