Phase 1 completed

Well, we've made it! We have arrived in Llangollen. 

On our way we encountered the usual events for any canal trip. At the junction with the Prees Branch, a boater misjudged the turn and nosedived the opposite bank - no one hurt, thank goodness. Hire boaters running aground on a shallow edge as they try to avoid other boaters and others losing control totally when they slam the boat into reverse. The problem with narrowboats is that they just don't steer in reverse. OK, you can guide them when going backwards but it takes time to acquire this skill. When you go hard in reverse, the first thing to happen is that the propeller acts like a sideways paddle and walks the back of the boat across the canal. Propellers are designed to push a boat forward and only some of the modern designs help with going in reverse. For a novice, the sideways walk can be quite unnerving. 

Anyway, at Hampton Bank Bridge we passed the home base of the Lyneal Trust, a holiday centre for those people with disabilities. They had several chalets and boats available for their guests. 

Further along the canal we passed several lakes or meres. These meres are where pockets of ice were left during the Ice Age and the water couldn't drain away during the thaw. 

We passed the turn off to Ellesmere, promising that we would stop here on the way back. We did, however, take on water at the junction. 

On Thursday night we stopped at Hindford and had supper at the Jack Mytton Inn, and a very good one at that. 

Friday, the great day! Off we set toward Chirk. 

The further we get along the canal, the more beautiful it gets. 

Here we are on the Chirk aqueduct with the railway running alongside. 

Next came the big one - the Pontcysyllte aqueduct. The aqueduct is 126ft above the River Dee and is 1007ft long. The towpath side of the bridge has a safety fence but the offside is unprotected from about 12in above the water level. 

Quite exhilarating. 

After the excitement, the canal gets narrower and quite shallow. 

Here we are just entering Llangollen. 

We popped into town for toasted tea cakes and a pot of tea and, although we hadn't planned on shopping, we saw this greengrocer and couldn't resist popping in. 

The strawberries were really fresh and tasty.