On The Monty

 

We 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.

We 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. 

The view from the stern with the Devon flag flying proudly in Wales.

Guess 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 !!!!!!!

Just me having a Titanic moment.

Going over the Chirk aqueduct and back into England….

With 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.

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

On 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.

We 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.

As 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.

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

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

This 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