Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eating
B2
B2
C2
B2
11
Manorhaus
C3
Sights
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct &
Canal World Heritage Site
( 01978-822 912;
www.pontcysyllte-aqueduct.co.uk
;
guided tours £3; visitor centre 10am-4pm Mar-Oct)
In the 18th century the horse-drawn canal barge was the most efficient way of
hauling goods over long distances but, with the advent of the railway, most of them fell
into disrepair. The Llangollen Canal fared better than most because it was used, for years
more, to carry drinking water from the River Dee to the Hurleston Reservoir in Cheshire.
Today it's again in use, carrying visitors up and down the Vale of Llangollen. In addition,
the old towpaths offer miles of peaceful, traffic-free walking. And the canal itself is part
of the attraction, thanks to the work of the great civil engineer Thomas Telford
(1757-1834).
Telford's goal was to connect up the haulage routes between the Rivers Dee, Severn
and Mersey. To collect water for the canal from the River Dee, Telford designed an eleg-
ant curving weir called Horseshoe Falls. The adjacent riverbank is a tranquil picnic spot.
However, Thomas Telford's real masterpiece is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, completed
in 1805 to carry the canal over the River Dee. At 307m long, 3.6m wide, 1.7m deep and
38m high, it is the most spectacular piece of engineering on the entire UK canal system
and the highest canal aqueduct ever built. In recognition of this, the aqueduct and an
11-mile stretch of the canal have been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The small visitor centre at the aqueduct runs guided tours (call ahead for times), while
canal boats offer trips along the 'stream in the sky' from the nearby quay and from Llan-
gollen wharf. Otherwise you can simply stroll across, free of charge. Whichever way you
choose, you'll need a head for heights.
CANAL
