Guide to Cruising the Llangollen and Montgomery Canals on Charter Hotelboat Willow

Llangollen & Montgomery Canals:(Adjacent canals can be viewed with the above links)
The Llangollen canal is, in parts, one of the prettiest canals in the country. It is also, arguably, the busiest. We hold the Llangollen in very high regard but we do need to allow plenty of time for cruising it in the main holiday season - by reason of potential queues at locks. An early autumn cruise, on the other hand, can be very rewarding. At Llangollen the canal is fed by the River Dee (the whole length of the present Llangollen is used as a water transportation system delivering drinking water from the Welsh Dee to reservoirs at its Hurleston junction with the Shroppie - water for Crewe). From the attractive Welsh village of Llangollen, the canal winds it’s way along the side of the hills overlooking the Vale of Llangollen. This first 4 mile stretch was originally just built as a feeder so the channel is narrow - and the water ‘gin clear’. Sadly that 4 mile feeder section is also very shallow. So much so that British Waterways warn that it should not be used by any craft 'drawing' more than 2'4"(Willow 'draws' just over 2'8").

Arriving at Trevor the canal channel widens, except for where it crosses the Pontcysyllte aqueduct carrying the canal 127ft above the River Dee below. The water channel is carried in an iron trough for over 1000ft. The edge of the trough on the non-towpath side is only a couple of inches wide - with no wall or fence - remarkable and to many - terrifying. Happily the channel also deepens (well a bit). A short distance further east and we pass through Whitehouse and Chirk tunnels before crossing another aqueduct at Chirk. Were it not for our memory of the height of the Pontcysyllte, the Chirk aqueduct would seem outstanding - I think it’s more attractive, if not quite as high.


The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct from the River Dee, 127ft below.	The opposite view - River Dee, 127ft below, from the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.	The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct from the boater's perspective.	The view from Chirk Aqueduct running adjacent to the newer railway viaduct. In my view Chirk's structure is more attractive albeit only approx 70ft high.

The Montgomery canal heads off southwards (albeit for only about 7 miles) from Frankton Junction. But its well worth a trip down there just for its attractive rural remoteness (see the photos). Fine restoration efforts here have been hampered and delayed by a silly concerns that boats might disrupt rare pond weed. We love wildlife - but the rare weed wouldn’t have been there anyway had the restorationists not provided it with water by restoring the canal - to float boats on. The ‘tree huggers’ seem to continue not to be able to see the wood for the trees - pardon the pun - so progress is still slowed. Canals restored, with boats to keep the channels open, help to create corridors of environment suitable for wildlife in general, not the reverse as the 'tree huggers' would have us believe - when will these people see sense?


These posts are a speed gauge - pass them in so many seconds tells you your speed - there to prevent speeding past delicate banksides	We find the first part of the Monty a bit straight and featureless, but south of Queens Head, it's charming - lift bridges just part of the interest.	Haven't seen this anywhere else. When the bridge is up, the warning to road traffic is on the underside of the bridge - very sensible actually.	Here we have the end of the line for navigation. The canal is now (2009) in water for several miles more - but needs (apparently) to be left for several years to allow the weed to grow ?!**?!!

Then, passing Ellesmere (not to be confused with Ellesmere Port), we enter the ‘Shropshire Lake District’ featuring, in particular, Blakemere and Colemere. Very attractive section of canal - and pleasantly attractive market town. The photographs of the Blakemere and Colemere area speak for themselves.


Ellesmere basin	Start of another pretty Shroppie cutting - here at Wheaton Aston.	Little Mill cottage at Colemere.	Bridge 55 at Colemere.

After the meres the canal plunges into some very sparsely populated heath land areas en-route to Whitchurch, and the Grindley Brook staircase locks. Lift bridges, now mainly hydraulically operated, are a feature of this stretch. The interesting Grindley Brook 'staircase' locks, in particular, provide some serious queues during the main summer season. Grindley Brook is also where our engineering activities were based. East of Grindley Brook the Llangollen passes thru mainly dairy-land areas, dropping down onto the Cheshire Plain. Wrenbury village with it’s electrically operated lift bridge is pleasant. Soon the huge Hurleston Reservoir appears on the north side of the canal as we drop down the very narrow Hurleston flight of locks onto the ‘Shroppie’.


There are five lift bridges between Grindley Brook and Colemere - this one the heaviest to operate because of its use by heavy lorries.	The lift bridge at the end of the 'Whitchurch Arm', used mainly by local 'dog walkers'.	Willow enters the bottom of the three staircase lock chambers at Grindley Brook.	This lift bridge at Wrenbury Mill is an 'electrified' / hydraulically controlled bridge, with traffic lights and barriers to stop traffic.

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