Gypsy Rover moored in Llangollen Basin on the floating pontoons with power and water.
Yeah Right
Yesterday was spent wandering around Llangollen township looking at all the old fashioned shops. With only a small Somerfields supermarket and a SPAR convenience store all the old shops have survived. Besides the many tourist trade shops there is an old fashioned hardware shop that also sells car accessories and camping equipment, 2 butchers shops which are becoming as scarce as hen's teeth, 2 greengrocers, a delicatessen and a variety of other shops selling shoes, clothing, arts and crafts,etc: To me it is a 1950's style town trapped in a time warp but I love it.
On the way back to the boat, because of the late hour, an executive decision was made to go into the Hand Hotel for the Sunday Carvery. For £7.50 each we got an enormous lunch which left no room for any dessert had there been one on offer. We had the choice of beef, pork or turkey, I chose the beef which melted in the mouth and the others all had pork. After this it was a real effort to walk (waddle) back to the boat.
The hotel has quite a history in that the name comes from the bloody red hand in the crest of the Myddleton family of Chirk castle. It started somewhere around the 1800's and was the principle coaching Inn in Llangollen on the London to Holyhead road.
This morning we had a last look around the town starting at the Harp and Doves monument by the Eisteddfod centre. This monument is made of polished stainless steel and depicts a Welsh harp with Doves flying around it. As it is a bank holiday week-end a lot of shops were closed but even at 10am the place was still alive with tourists.
After lunch it was time to cast off from the jetty and say farewell to Llangollen and head back to Trevor. Just as we came through the township the trip boat to Trevor and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was ready to leave so we pulled in and let him pass as he has a schedule to maintain where we don't. In a way it was just as well we did because we met so many hire boats coming through the narrow's and ran aground numerous times in our attempts to let them pass. As usual there was 1 grumpy old git that complained he had run aground and it was my fault but we politely pointed out that we too were aground.
Upon reaching Trevor we turned right and went over the aqueduct ourselves as far as the lift bridge where we winded and went back over the Aqueduct again as Robin and Jenny may never get the opportunity ever again. It was quite windy out over the river Dee but it was pushing us into the towpath side of the aqueduct which meant we were sliding along the wooden rub rail most of the time.
Back in Trevor basin we winded and got back into the same mooring we had last time despite being told by another boater that it wasn't deep enough. It just means we are in about 18inches of water and the rest mud, but we are afloat.
1422 locks, 2065 miles, 48 Tunnels, 42 swing bridges and 29 lift bridges since Nov 2006
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