A perfect day on the Llangollen Canal

End Prees Branch to Old Man’s Bridge (38), Llangollen Canal. 5 miles 0 locks

It was one of those days today, perfect.

Pulling the pins early we filled with diesel and loaded coal for the first part of the winter.  Diesel was a fair 51p a litre and 25kg of coal was £5.70, fair again.  We had been told that Whixall Marina had good prices for coal and diesel.  British Waterways Marinas Ltd have taken over the running of this one.. last May in fact.  They are going to be pulling out all the pontoons and replacing them with modern ones as well as providing water and electricity to each of them.  Some refurbish program that is .. Here the tranquility of this marina early this morning..

Back down the arm we cruised, and here is the remains of the broken lift bridge..

Look at the top left, you can see where it has just ‘snapped’ off..

This is a very quiet arm although the big Marina is at the bottom.. there are a lot of buzzards to be seen, and look at this little fella sitting in the hedge..

We stopped for lunch at the lovely named ‘Old Man’s Bridge’, and decided to chop up some of the wood we have on the roof before going on to Whitchurch tomorrow.. I often wonder how these bridges get the names they are given, this one is a mystery because there doesn’t seem to be any buildings nearby where an old man might have lived!

It is such a delightful spot here that we decided to stay for the afternoon and overnight, so we stuck the pins in a bit firmer.. then it was out for a walk with Lucy.. I took my PDA with me which has Memory-map on it, that is an ordnance survey map of this area.  As I walk so a little circle shows me where I am using gps navigation.. very handy indeed, and it sure was today.  I had planned a walk to the east of the canal, but when I walked back to go under the disused railway bridge I noticed a path up to it.. 

What followed was one of the most splendid walks I have ever done.. I just looked at the mapping on the PDA and wandered across the countryside to the west including some of the Whixall Peat Nature Reserve.. the walks were along beautiful rides like this…

Vic did the tea tonight which meant I could stay out a bit longer, and when I got back I realised I had done over 5 miles!

Picking son Tony up tomorrow from Whitchurch Station.. he is staying for a few days, so we will flex his muscles to clear the Llangollen Canal to Nantwich for Monday.. might treat him to a dinner out.. looking forward to seeing him, he hasn’t seen the new No Problem yet, hope he likes it ..