Llangollen canal holidays with Marine Cruises Holiday hire boats.

The Llangollen Canal is probably the most beautiful canal in Britain, scenery varies from isolated sheep pastures to ancient peat mosses, from tree lined lakes to the foothills of Snowdonia.

The Llangollen Canal starts in North Wales just above Llangollen, alongside the River Dee which comes tumbling out of Snowdonia. It cuts through hilly Welsh countryside, crossing the English border near our base at Chirk, then through the 'Shropshire's Lake District' around Ellesmere. The Llangollen Canal then descends through the deserted Shropshire farmlands and on to join the Shropshire Union Canal just north of Nantwich in rural Cheshire.

The magnificent aqueducts at Chirk and Pontcysyllte on the Llangollen canal were built by the engineers Thomas Telford and William Jessup and were among the first to use cast iron troughs to contain the canal. At Chirk the trough is supported by conventional masonry arches but at Pontcysyllte the trough is exposed and sits atop 120 foot high slender masonry towers. When you cross it by boat there is an exhilarating sheer drop on the non-towpath side!

Routes from Chirk
Llangollen & Whitchurch Route: Green Weeks: 1
Chester & Return Route: Yellow Weeks: 1
Four Counties Ring Route: Red Weeks: 2
Llangollen Canal Route: Blue Weeks: 1

Places of Interest

Ellesmere – A north Shropshire market town with a mix of Tudor, Georgian and Victorian buildings. The spectacular mere with its visitor centre is only a short walk from the town centre and the Llangollen canal basin. A number of routes are marked around the town bringing together both the history and wildlife of the area in a series of walks.
Next to the mere are the Cremore Gardens which provide a focus for the annual Britain in Bloom competition of which Ellesmere was the regional winner in both 2000 and 2001. The town is also well served with amenities including shops, cafes and restaurants.
Leaving Ellesmere the canal enters “Shropshire’s Lake District” winding past a number of the local meres and through thick mixed woodland and emerging into rural countryside on the next part of the journey.

Whitchurch – Another traditional market town again well served with shops and cafes. Whitchurch also has large supermarket facilities for taking on supplies. The town also has a number of small interesting shops selling local merchandise and crafts. Pubs and restaurants in Whitchurch are also well placed and offer good value for money.

Chirk – A small border town with stunning views of the Welsh hills. Chirk also boasts an historical castle just a few minutes walk from the town centre. The Chirk tunnel and aqueduct are to the south side of the town and provide a breathtaking start and finish to your journey.

Llangollen – Llangollen is an interesting town with restaurants, pubs and shops and is renowned throughout Europe for its International Music Eisteddfod held annually in July. The town focuses heavily on the arts with a number of galleries, theatres, concerts and open air festivals running throughout the year.
Other attractions are the horse drawn trip boat that runs to the start of the Llangollen canal at Horseshoe Falls, the steam railway that runs through the town and into the Welsh hills. The town also has a number of museums, and just outside the ancient Dinas Bran Castle and Vale Crusis Abbey.

More about North Wales and the Borders

Marine Cruises & Chirk Marina Chirk Wrexham LL14 5AD

Tel 01691 774558 Fax 01691 772255 Email info@chirkmarina.co.uk