Ruabon Branch, Trevor, Wales

With little rain and wind, today was a good day to travel. The further we cruised the steeper the terrain around us became, but an embankment kept the canal straight amd level.

Approaching the small village of Chirk Bank it was time to stop for lunch. We saw the channel ahead narrow so Will pulled over and Vicky walked ahead with Tiger and Leo to see if it widened out. It didn't, so we stayed put. After eating Will popped to the Post Office and little farm shop while Vicky rested.

Returning from the shops Will was really on edge. Ahead of us lay the towering Chirk and Pontcysyllte Aqueducts and today was the only day there wasn't high winds. Despite feeling knackered, Vicky agreed it was best we tackled them today, so much to Tiger's disappointment we untied the mooring ropes and ploughed on.

First came Chirk Aqueduct. 220m long, it reaches 21m above the valley and spans the English Welsh border. The nearby viaduct runs even higher and added to the dramatic scenery. Immediately after crossing we turned all the lights on, blasted our horn and plunged into Chirk Tunnel. 421m long, its portals and basin are a Grade II listed structure. A towpath runs throughout but the channel is shallow and only wide enough for one boat. The current was against us and at 2mph it almost cancelled out Rainboat's engine at tickover. It pushed the bow over to one side so we needed to steer her several degrees away from where we wanted to go, moving forward with the boat at an angle. It was very odd but we later watched several boating vlogs that assured us we weren't the only ones!

Next came Whitehouses Tunnel; similar to Chirk but shorter at 175m. The light had begun to fade as we approached Pontcysyllte Aqueduct but we were both on a high with excitement. As one of the 7 wonders of the canals we'd known about it for some time and were really looking forward to experiencing it. At 307m it is the longest aqueduct in Great Britain. Towering 38m above the roaring River Dee, it is the tallest canal aqueduct in the world. With 18 stone arches it is a Grade I listed structure and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways.

Will got the drone set up and Vicky put on all the christmas lights to cross the 'Stream in the Sky'. Cast iron railings guard the towpath side but there is nothing but a 6 inch lip between the channel and the valley below. It was exhilarating! We passed over a meadow and the treeline that separated it from the Dee that had burst its banks and rushed over its uneven bed with white waves. What a special experience.

Now on Trevor, Will walked ahead to find a mooring spot and radioed Vicky to say there was a quiet spot at the end of the short Ruabon Branch coming directly off the basin at the end of the aqueduct. It took a lot of concentration to steer between the Anglo Welsh boats parked on both sides of the channel and at times Rainboat's hull scraped against theirs on both sides. The peaceful and sheltered pocket park at the end was worth it though. The dogs enjoyed stretching their legs while we moored to bollards. We got the fire lit, closed all the blinds and sunk into the sofa to process and revel in the day's adventures.

During our stay we walked over and under the aqueduct in the beautiful Dee valley took a hike up the hill to Tesco, enjoying views of even more of the surrounding countryside unfolding beneath us.

The Thomas Telford pub was close by and obviously popular with locals and visitors alike. They'd gone all out with Christmas decorations but the food wasn't great, with Vicky being offered a brie and cranberry dish and several types of meat and cheese salad as vegan options 😵‍💫 The Duke of Wellington was a bit out of the centre and empty when we first went in but the landlady chatted away to us and knocked up some simple but tasty lunch. A regular came in for their afternoon nip of whisky but otherwise we didn't see anyone. The landlady was on her way out to work at another pub and was talking about calling it a day after New Year. With increased overheads the business just wasn't making enough 😢もっと詳しく