3 men on a walk 2016: Boys outing to Wales

Chirk and Llangollen walks

The annual "Boys Walking Tour" this year was to the Welsh Border. Not only is this excellent countryside but we had the LLangollen Canal walk - which crosses two amazing Aqueducts in the region - plus the Offa's Dyke national path running through it. Our base was the village of Chirk chosen because we could get busses out to our proposed walk start points and it had a pub with rooms!

The plan was to stay for 3 nights and get two long walks in plus two half-day walks on the travelling days. One walk was to bus down to Oswestry and walk about 15 miles back to base along the Offa's Dyke way and the other long walk was to Bus to Llangollen and then walk back along the Canal path for 13 miles or so which would take us over the world famous Pontcysyllte Aquaduct. However the weather was not favourable and in practice we only managed the Canal path in full and then only by getting soaked during the last 4 miles of the walk!

DAY 1 - a walk around Chirk Castle and the Cerriog Valley

After the 5hr drive up, we arrived at the pub around 2-00pm; had a quick lunch and set out on this circular walk which was exceptionally pretty. The weather was sunny and the scenery excellent. The route took us up and around Chirk Castle (Chirk Castle link ) built in 1295 to help suppress the Welsh Barons! Then up onto a section of the Offa's Dyke path which led us down to the river Cerriog in a steep wooded valley. We then followed the river valley eastwards through the site of the famous battle of Crogen ( Battle of Crogen link ) where in 1165 the Welsh Barons defeated the English King Henry 2nd who had ambitions to conquer Wales.

Further on we passed under the Chirk Aqueduct, a 70ft high, 710 ft long canal bridge that spans the Cerriog valley (along with a similar viaduct that carries the railway line. The railway viaduct was reportedly made higher than the canal Aqueduct just to show the superiority of steam over boat travel!). Not wishing to miss a chance to walk this amazing structure we looped around and picked up the canal towpath and walked along it and across the Aqueduct. This was to prepare us for a similar feat the next day when we would cross the Pontcysylltee Aquaduct which was twice as high and long!

At the end of the Chirk Aquaduct the canal goes through a narrow unlit tunnel almost half-a-mile long and only big enough for one narrow boat to traverse at a time. The tow path was also very narrow and whilst my short walking companions could walk quite happily down this "drain", I had to crouch to stop my head banging on the sides and in the pitch blackness this caused much mirth from my companions! Still, out the other end we were back at the edge of Chirk village and only a short walk back to the pub and a tasty local brewery pint!

Parkland at Chirk Castle

Chirk Castle

Ice Cream Break

Looking across to Chirk Castle

Foxgloves in the woodland

Walking down to the river Cerriog

Wild Garlic was everywhere

The two viaducts over the Cerriog River at Chirk.The nearest is a railway viaduct and the other an Aqueduct for the Llangollen Canal

The Llangollen Canal just before the Aqueduct

Going across the Chirk Aqueduct

The river Cerriog 60 ft below

The canal tunnel at Chirk

It was dark - and tight - in there!

Stats for the walk were...

Finished Hike: 9 May 2016, 18:06:14

Route: Chirk Cerriog loop
Weather:

temperature	25°C
humidity	44%
wind	14 mph ESE

Explorer Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20160509-1456

Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Walkmeter-Hike-20160509-1456.kml

Hike Time: 2:33:26

Stopped Time: 36:19

Distance: 7.39 miles

Average: 2.87 mile per hr

Fastest Pace: 15:29 min/mile

Ascent: 1120

Descent: 1132

Calories: 767

Day 2 - Along the Llangollen Canal (Link to Llangollen Canal)

The weather forecast wasn't good but the forecast gave some hope (correctly as it turned out) that the rain wouldn't reach us until early afternoon so we caught the bus to Llangollen. The morning weather wasn't at all bad so Ivan twisted our arms to walk out to the "Horseshoe falls" which is the start of the canal and about 2.5 miles west of the town. The quickest way to reach this point was to go over the hill in a straight line ans some hill it turned out to be. Still, arriving back down at river Dee level at Berwyn we picked up the canal and walked the few hundred yards west to the source of the canal. The "Horseshoe Falls" are actually a man made weir in the river Dee which provides enough of a head of water to feed the start of the canal. 12 Million gallons of water a day are siphoned off into the canal at this point with a set of sluice gates used to control the flow.
From here we about turned and walked the canal towpath back to Llangollen and beyond. The walk was very scenic and on hard standing so we made good progress always watching the building clouds that threatened to ruin our day. We needed to get to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - the highlight of this walk - before the rain set in and we lost the view. ( Link to the Aqueduct) It was about 8 miles from the start of the canal to the village of Trevor (our Trevor was very proud that Thomas Telford had named a village after him!) where the barges waited for safe passage across the Aqueduct. There was an interesting visitor centre here that explained how the Aqueduct was built - basically it was a water trough made up from cast Iron sections riveted together with linen; tar and white lead packing used to ensure water tightness.
After the excitement of crossing the Aqueduct - and also it was lunchtime! - we walked a mile or so further on to reach "The Aqueduct" Pub to settle the nerves. No sooner had we entered the door than the heavens opened and the rain poured down. Still at least we were in the dry - for the time being.
It was no good, sooner or later we had to leave the pub for the final 4 mile hike back to Chirk and the rain really punished us. Three drowned rats poured through the door of the "Hand Hotel" desperate to get out of the very wet clothes they had ended up with.

The river Dee at Llangollen

Berwyn station and the river Dee

"Horseshoe Falls" the weir in the river Dee that feeds the canal

Sluice gates ato control the flow into the canal

Train at Berwyn station

What idiot decided to cut a canal into the side of a mountain?

The canal basin at Llangollen and a horse drawn narrow boat being prepared

Real horsepower - for centuries the best way of transporting heavy goods around the UK

View across the River Dee valley from the canal

Screenshots showing how the cast iron sections were assembled to form the water trough

The construction can be clearly seen

120 ft up on the very narrow Aqueduct

The river Dee valley from the Aqueduct

Room - just - for one barge at a time to cross

Ivan studying the latest issue of The Towpath News !

Yor are not getting me to let go of that railing!

Our room at "The Hand Hotel, Chirk"

Another view along the canal

Stats for the day were...

Finished Hike: 10 May 2016, 15:30:13

Route: Llangollen Canal Path

Weather:

temperature	17°C
humidity	88%
wind	7 mph N

Explorer Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20160510-0954

Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Walkmeter-Hike-20160510-0954.kml

Hike Time: 3:08:11

Stopped Time: 2:27:49

Distance: 10.63 miles

Average: 3.45 mile per hr

Fastest Pace: 12:33 min/mile

Ascent: 795

Descent: 731

Calories: 1079

Day 3 - Along Offa's Dyke

It was still very wet and the forecast said it would stay that way until early afternoon. Not wishing to get soaked again we decided that we would escape the rain by visiting Chirk Castle in the morning and then assess the weather and try for an afternoon walk. This was a good plan because the rain drifted away by 2-00pm and whist it was still humid and hazey which ruined the great scenery we did at least get a decent walk in.

Because we needed to shorten the time-frame for this walk we abandoned the bus ride to Oswertry and picked out a loop walk which would lead us up to Offa's Dyke (Link to Offa's Dyke ) and then along a section of it of around 4 miles. We had a very long and steep uphill section to reach the Offa's Dyke trail but it was worth it when we reached it. This 1300 year old defensive ditch was a real feat of engineering considering the lack of decent tools available at that time. Some scholars even believe it was the Romans that built this 150 mile long fortification - a ditch 60ft wide and about 8ft deep along rugged mountainous terrain. We were surprised at how well the dyke and its associated ditch has survived albeit overgrown in places.

We followed the official Offa's Dyke path down into the Cerriog Valley and took the "quick but steep" path up the other side which took us directly to Chirk Castle. After a quick ice cream we headed off around the castle and back into Chirk and our base.

Chirk Castle

two "left over" soldiers from the English Civil War !

And a leftover old crone in the dungeon !

Chuirk Castle

Reaching the Olaf's Dyke Way

Offa's Dyke - an amazing piece of defensive earthwork built by hand in the 8th century or earlier

view across the Cerriog valley

Stats for the day were ...

Finished Hike: 11 May 2016, 17:28:10

Route: Offa's Dyke loop

Weather:

temperature	19°C
humidity	83%
wind	7 mph N

Explorer Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20160511-1348

Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Walkmeter-Hike-20160511-1348.kml

Hike Time: 2:32:05

Stopped Time: 1:07:04

Distance: 8.21 miles

Average: 3.24 mile per hr

Fastest Pace: 12:13 min/mile

Ascent: 1207

Descent: 1194

Calories: 865

Day 4 - The River Severn Gorge and Iron Bridge

We had a 5 hr drive home but that gave us enough time to stop off at Iron Bridge on the river Seven to see the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. It was here that an improved method for smelting cast iron was invented and this led to an explosion in the us eof cast iron for structural purposes. To prove it they designed and built in 1781 a cast iron bridge - the first in the world - over the river Seven gorge and its still there! (Link to the Iron Bridge).

We parked up and walked down to the river, then along the east bank to the bridge. It clearly is an amazing feat of engineering. After the usual photo shots we crossed the bridge and walked along the west bank of the gorge for about 3 miles before crossing the river on a footbridge and returning along the east bank and the Iron Bridge.