All aboard!

We arrived at Chirk Marina at 13:40 and checked in at reception. We were shown to our boat, which is called Penny. Andrew ferried luggage from the car while Sarah made a start at unpacking. When we were ready we had our tuition from one of the Black Prince staff. A pilot then manoeuvred our boat out of the marina, onto the canal before disembarking and waving us off.

Andrew quickly got the hang of the steering, barring a few bumps, and within 10 minutes we were passing through our first tunnel. Several bumps later we re-emerged into daylight and happily continued on our way. About an hour after departing we encountered Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The views were breathtaking and it really did feel like ‘a river in the sky’. Andrew even braved a look over the side.

Upon arrival at Trevor Basin there is a sharp left hand turn onto the Llangollen branch, this was complicated by another boat waiting to cross the aqueduct blocking the entrance. Sarah was very impressed at Andrew’s skilled handling of the boat as he gracefully made the turn! The canal from here is very narrow with a strong flow against our direction of travel. This made steering difficult, especially through bridges. Sarah took over at the tiller for a while giving Andrew a little break.

The approach into Llangollen is very narrow (only room for one boat), so Sarah went ahead with a walkie-talkie to ensure the way ahead was clear. Thankfully nothing came from the other direction! We arrived at Llangollen at around 18:15 and moored up for the night.

The boat feels very cosy and is well equipped. We are settling in nicely, a good start to our holiday.Read more