Pictures: Wales Tourist Board/John Winer The 130 foot high and 200 year-old Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (main picture); then, top to bottom, the Chirk Aqueduct near Wrexham and views along the Llangollen Canal. | Nice and easy does it on a
narrowboat holiday. . . except when you're crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in stormy weather.
John Winter lived to tell the tale. . .
| Prices range from £530 for a 2/4 berth boat in March to £1,450 for an 8/10 berth boat in August.
Black Prince Holidays can be contacted on 01527 575115.
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ON the way over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct my daughter said: "This is like flying on a magic carpet." On the way back she didn't say a lot. She was speechless, like the rest of us. Picture the scene. You are steering a 65ft long narrowboat along the Llangollen Canal when you reach a 130 foot high, 200 year-old aqueduct, with a sheer drop to your left and a narrow walkway with a railing on the right. On the way over it was awsome, but the weather was good. On the way back it was raining and the wind was blowing so strongly against us that the boat - now behaving more like a flying pig than a flying carpet - stopped halfway across. It would not go forward. So, there we were stuck on the highest aqueduct in Wales, a sheer drop on one side, another boat behind, battered by the wind and rain. What do you do? One thought was to abandon ship. But I didn't have a parachute. "Use less power, the stern is touching bottom" advised the chap on the boat behind. "Use less power, the stern is touching bottom" advised the chap on the boat behind. "Use more power, give it some welly" said a passer by. You get to meet complete strangers in some very strange places. We got the ropes out. No, not to slide down to safety - to see if we could shift it with a bit of a tug. | To give the family credit, they didn't panic. They are all a bit prone to vertigo but upper lips were stiffened, sleeves rolled up and - eyes averted from the great drop - they clambered on to the walkway and pulled together.... It worked. Not at first, but with the chap behind and the passer- by also pulling on the ropes, the good ship Rhapsody grudgingly inched forward and after several minutes made its way into the shelter of the trees on the other side of the gorge. Safe! We moored up and relaxed with stiff drinks all round! Now, at this juncture I must point out that a narrowboat holiday is on the whole great fun. Ours was big enough to take six or more adults, you can stop almost where you want (ie if you see a pub by the canal-side, just moor up and pop in) and those not doing the driving can relax and read a book or just watch the world pass slowly by. We had a well equipped kitchen and two bathrooms, and a CD player, played cards in the evening or went to the pub, and the sleeping accommodation was comfortable if intimate. The countryside was beautiful, particularly around Llangollen, and we were entertained by ducks that kept landing on top of the boat as we moved slowly along, hoping for a share of our food. The boats travel at just four miles or five miles an hour, so you have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, and to avoid any approaching boats or obstacles (one good way on narrow stretches is to send someone on foot to scout out what lies ahead). Bicycles, even dogs, overtook us! | But be aware that these boats are so long that you can only turn around in certain locations - one day we cruised for four hours looking for a suitable place. There were two tunnels and another aqueduct (this one didn't have a sheer drop next to the boat) to negotiate, as well as two locks, but that was part of the adventure. Black Prince Holidays organise narrowboat holidays on many of the historic canals in the Midlands, some of which have more locks than we experienced, and many of the fellow boaters we met return to these waters year after year, which is a testi- ment to the fun they get out of it. This was not our first boating holiday, nor will it be the last. But I would think twice about tackling the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct again, unless I was blind-folded, and trussed up in the bilges, and there was a horse standing by just in case the wind got up! We picked up our narrowboat at Chirck, near Wrexham. Staff briefly show you how to steer and operate it, and explain the fittings. But not how difficult the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct can be! |
