We went back in to town this morning to get a few post cards and the last bits of supplies before setting off about 1030. Already there were boats arriving in the marina and some had already left.
The three horses on duty at the Llangollen Wharf we kept busy taking it in turns to take the trippers to the Horseshoe Falls, as well as selling ice creams.
This 'castle' must have a lovely view across the Vale of Llangollen with the sun all day long. They just have to put up with boaters taking pictures of their house!
You quickly get to the one way working system and there were a lot of anxious ladies telling me over and over again that there boats coming up. I had to get to the side but I must have made them think that I was continuing. Helen had gone ahead and after 4 or 5 boats there was a gap and Helen gave me the all clear. Here at Bridge 43 there is a little break from the narrows, but the Aire and Calder it still isn't!
There was nobody coming over the aqueduct so we were straight on. We had been thinking of stopping at Trevor, up the arm, but booked the Montgomery instead.
Helen got off to take some pictures and she said she was more anxious on the tow path than on the boat.
It is an amazing structure, but surely it wouldn't be allowed to be built this way today!
At the Fron end of the aqueduct is this sculpture created by Anthony Lysycia of Essex. It was completed about 2005 and seems to depict the quarrying of the area, and cargoes for the canal.
As you pass this big factory mainly hidden as you pass in a cutting, you may get a whiff of chocolate. That is because this is a Cadbury's factory that employs about 350 people. Cocoa beans are delivered here, (would have been a great canal cargo), where they are cleaned and then roasted in a revolving drum. they are then kibbed when they are crushed and the light shell blown away and nibs crushed and ground to make a chocolate coloured liquid which is half cocoa butter. Half of that is removed and you are left with a solid block that can be ground up to make drinking chocolate etc at another factory.
Once again we were straight over the Chirck Aqueduct as not much seemed to be moving at the time. Maybe it was something to do with there being a football match on later.
It was good to be back home. We didn't go too much further and stopped near the Poachers Pocket pub. We decided not to bother going to the pub as we couldn't get a TV picture, but just listened on the radio. It was a good game for the publicans!
No comments:
Post a Comment