Saturday 7 June 2014

On The Monty

 

red camera entering llangollen 050We left the basin at Llangollen at 07.15 with the intention of getting over the Ponty aqueduct before it got busy. But when we arrived there were 4 boats waiting to go over and then another one behind us,and with only a small area before the Pontcysylite aqueduct it soon got a bit congested.

red camera entering llangollen 056We eventually got out onto the aqueduct and yet again I was Billy no mates on the helm as Carolyn still couldn’t bring herself to come out of the cabin. So I had to take this selfie. Although I find it a great buzz going over the Ponty it still makes me feel very nervous. 

red camera entering llangollen 070The view from the stern with the Devon flag flying proudly in Wales.

red camera entering llangollen 073Guess what is below The Ponty aqueduct which just happens to be a World heritage site….Yes a Sewage Treatment Works… I am not sure what they do or how they work, but this one looked lovely !!!!!!!

red camera entering llangollen 084Just me having a Titanic moment.

red camera entering llangollen 088Going over the Chirk aqueduct and back into England….

to monty 003With the arm at Ellesmere full we picked up this mooring on the junction and did a shop at the nearby Tesco. For some reason we got £12 off our shop…2 more bottles of the red stuff, thank you Mr Tesco.

to monty 005Carolyn sat on the throne next to our mooring….. Why can’t they put doors on the toilets ?.

to monty 012On Wednesday morning after booking our passage down onto the Montgomery canal we pulled pins at 07.15 and fill with water and got rid of rubbish at Ellesmere before making our way to Frankton Junction.

to monty 022We arrived just after 09.00 and were second in line to drop down the 4 locks . The locks are only available for 2 hours a day between 12.00 and 14.00 when a lock keeper arrives and removes the padlocks on the gates.

monty 002As soon as we got to the bottom of the locks the heavens opened. We decided to push on and try and pick up a mooring out in the country ,but there is a lack of such moorings on this canal which is a bit of a shame. Soaked through we stopped at this mooring for the night. It is opposite The Queens head pub which is situated on the busy A5 road.

monty 003After a noisy night (A5) we pulled pins in glorious sunshine and headed towards the 3 Aston locks which drop you down 18 feet.

monty 010This is where the canal seems to become more wild with flag iris and overgrown banks.

monty 011This is how we imagined the Monty would look and so far we are glad we made the effort to come onto it.

We picked up a mooring after a couple of hours cruising outside of the canal visitor centre opposite Maesbury Marsh and after a cup of tea and a bite to eat we are going off for the afternoon with our backpacks and do some exploring.

                                                                                    Happy Days

1 comment:

  1. well I have had the biggest laugh since you have been doing the blog. I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY VERY GOOD Carolyn on the toilet and you doing your Titanic bit was good x

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