Llangollen Canal - Day 7

After the previous days' antics and a noisy night next to the busy A5 we set off at 9.10am. As I said, this part of the canal is beautiful but extremely narrow, one-way for much of it and 2 or 3 passing places marked by two white poles. Mum and I relished the chance to hop off the boat and walk the few miles to Llangollen town, ostensibly to look for oncoming boats. But the view was pretty distracting. I could hear golfers in the valley below calling "Fore!".

[Martin: Actually, offloading our passengers was a necessity. There are two stretches of essentially one-way traffic. The first 300ft and the second 500ft. Sending scouts ahead on the tow path ensures that the way ahead is clear. Or if not, they can negotiate. As it happened, there was not another soul on the canal. Probably a combination of the time and the fact we were towards the end of the season]

We arrived into Llangollen at about 10am and turned Lucy easily in the marina basin. Our aim was to walk down into the town to make the 11am steam train from the station. We needn't have worried, she was there waiting for us and after purchasing tickets, coffee and Thomas Tank Engine souvenirs we boarded.

[Martin: Actually, the steam train ride was the focus of much planning. Before setting out on our adventure I had found a web site that helped plan our itinerary so that we could hit the railway on the Friday morning - in time for a return ride to Carrog. That's why we staged at Sun Trevor the night before.]

Mum had a good chat to the volunteers who work the train and maintain the line. They are an amazing and interesting bunch of men and so pleased to be able to speak of their work and passion on the railway. The railway restoration (www.llangollen-railway.co.uk) was started in 1975 with a mere 60 feet of track. It is a lovely trip alongside the River Dee and into the Berwyn mountains. Today a number of 'steamies' run the 7 and a half miles of restored track westward to Carrog. On special occasions they have Thomas trains running and we could see their rolling stock in the yards at Carrog.

James was having a fantastic time (thoroughly encouraged by his Dad and Ninny!) and was a lucky boy to be in the front rail car with the driver.

[Martin: the train was configured as it would have been originally. The engine was in the middle; between two carriages. The driver sits in the forward facing carriage and has a throttle that is linked by chain to the engine. There is also a hand brake.]

He was taught some railway lessons - 'SW' for sound whistle, the meaning of signals and how to chase pheasants off the line. It was a very important job and we were all very proud of him!

[Martin: The driver had young children about James' age and was happy to have James involved. He taught James about the various signals on the track and was sure to always ask James if the train was clear to continue.]

After a while spent at Carrog station the train was ready to go back to Llangollen. Hmmm...no sight of Mum. She'd done a runner into the village and was heading up the hill to the pub when the guard blew his whistle to summon her! We heard a shriek and she came pounding down the hill at full speed. The crew and I were all in fits of laughter to see her racing towards us! But, she made it and we were soon on our way.

All this excitement made us hungry so back in Llangollen we reluctantly left the train and our new-found railway friends and headed across the river to The Corn Mill (voted Wales' Perfect Pub in May 2006). The 13th Century mill, founded by Cictercian monks from the nearby Valle Crucis Abbey, boasts a still-functioning 20 foot mill wheel. It was a perfect spot for lunch overlooking the river and station. After a leisurely lunch and a a few drinks we walked back uphill to Lucy, filled her with water and headed back down the canal, the way we had come the day before. To our delight we saw a lone heron dive in and grab a poor unsuspecting fish from the clear water. The day ended with the return trip over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (no less impressive!) and moored this time in a gorgeous stretch of canal but right next to a train line which was only slightly less noisy than the A5. No matter - we had had a fun and tiring day. We had placed ourselves close to Chirk Marina for the early drop-off in the morning.

Photos are here.