Best of British
(Past and Present)Stream in the Sky

Skipper Ian Beacham and crew take the slow route along a British waterway wonder.Stream in the Sky

It was time for our turn. The convoy eases into the one way channel and suddenly we find ourselves in the unlikely situation of requiring a head for heights while steering a canal narrowboat. We're looking down at the breathtaking scenery of the River Dee on the north Wales border from the 116- feet high Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the Thomas Telford Georgian engineering master-piece, that takes the Llangollen Canal branch of the Shropshire Union Canal from one side of the valley to the other. Finished in 1805 after ten years of construction, this hugely-arched  aqueduct takes its name from a small bridge a little further up the river and translated means: 'The bridge that connects the river'.

In our 60-feet four-berth craft - our four-strong crew savours the five-minute crossing of arguably one of the best sights on Britain's canal network. It's Britain's longest and highest aqueduct. The 'stream in the sky' does take your breath away, especially if you look down over the side of the lead channel made up of 1,000 feet of individual iron castings dovetailing into one another with joints that were sealed with Welsh flannel and lead dipped in boiling sugar. Once constructed at a cost of £45,000, it was filled with water and left to stand for six months. It still appears not to leak!

Walkers can also g et the same pleasure by crossing the aqueduct using the towpath.
Once across, it's a couple of hours of 4mph cruising toward the Welsh mountains with Llangollen the westerly limit of our journey. The canal narrows to single craft width in some stretches calling for one of the party to walk ahead to anticipate the location of passing places and the possible approach of other boats. In high season, this stretch becomes something akin to Piccadilly Circus because of the canal's popularity. It's due to the magnificent scenery encouraging many to want to sample what is described as Britain's most beautiful waterway.

With mooring space limited at Llangollen, early arrival is vital. The town - with the rushing water of the Dee its focal point - offers plenty of interest for a two-night stay, particularly the steam railway, but many boaters starting from Chirk want to return as we did across the Pontcysyllte and head east over the Chirk Aqueduct. It runs parallel with the mainline railway to Chester that has its own viaduct - the pair together giving the area a Roman atmosphere. Like the Pontcysyllte, Chirk Aqueduct was made to carry the Ellesmere Canal. The 70-feet high aqueduct, built between 1796 and 1801 by Thomas Telford and William Jessop, has a bed of iron plates, bolted together, with the side walls built of stone quarried locally. As the canal winds its way through tunnels, scores of bridges, past woods and meadows and a clutch of water-side pubs to the agreeable town of Ellesmere with i ts lovely mere and adjacent Shropshire 'Lake District', the fact that there are only two sets of locks to negotiate adds to the attraction of this canal.

Our short break - which would cost around £100 a head in Springtime when canalside nature bursts into life and baby ducklings appear everywhere - gave us three days of gentle cruising and the realisation that anyone capable of driving a car can handle one of these craft provided they adhere to the rules of the river. Avoid speeding, don't rock other boats when passing, slow down when meeting others, keep right and always remember to steer in the opposite way to the direction you want to travel. With a bit of practice, mooring in one manoeuvre comes as second nature although accept there may be lost tempers during the learning curve. Sides of the canal can also be shallow requiring the use of the handy long pole to become unstuck!

There are various sizes of boat - all now powered by water-cooled engines from the Far East - that come with the normal home comforts like central heating, shower, cooker, fridge, colour TV and radio. Just bring your toiletries and you're ready to go. Canal boating may be life in the slow lane with a delight around most corners yet one thing is vital. You need to know your travelling companions well. The proximity to one another, particularly to those who might be prone to snoring, and shared bathroom facilities require British patience and understanding.