Glassy conditions on the Llangollen canal at the start of the adventure
Only safe and legal way to take your sup across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct aka "Stream in the sky.'
Background: Myself (Craig Colville/Padlgog) and fellow sup instructor Deio Owain (Ysgol Syrffio LLyn) have been wanting to do a two day sup adventure for ages.
After a busy work season, lockdowns and other commitments, finally on the 14th and 15th of September 2020 a gap in our schedules (and good weather) meant that we could go on a trip.
After debating sites on Anglesey, the Llŷn Peninsula and other locations further afield, we decided that a nice simple trip would be starting at the very beginning of the Llangollen branch of the Shropshire Union Canal.
The Horseshoe Falls brings the water from the River Dee into the canal and marks the start of the Unesco World Heritage site that follows the canal from here all the way to Chirk Bank, roughly 18km away.
52.980778, -3.198675 (Parking available at the Horseshoe Falls car park nearby).
On left Craig Colville/Silent Bob look alike (Owner Padlgog) on right Deio Owain (Owner Ysgol Syrffio Llyn )
Considerations
We wanted to have a trip that was a bit of an unknown so we did not overly plan.
We checked the weather and packed accordingly...Well sort of.
We had some food and water for the trip, but had planned to get food en-route at one of the many pubs close to the canal.
We were looking at staying on a campsite along the way- but with a little research, other than in Llangollen itself, there were non suitable.
This meant that we needed to find a suitable place to wild camp overnight -more on this later.
The water is pumped directly from the River Dee into the top of the Llangollen Canal- this generates a considerable current at the top point.
So it's easier to paddle 'downstream' than up.
This also means that the canal is very clean at this point and you can even see the bottom.
We were keen on doing an A>B trip rather than re-tracing our steps- so we left one vehicle near The Queens Head (SY11 4EB), just off the Montgomery canal.
We decided that due to the time of year and the nature of canals that we would not need a leash on this trip, nor would we wear buoyancy aids.
On a canal your sup will not go far if you fall off and are not attached to it- but the leash may create drag along the way and also pick up flotsam.
In September the water is at its warmest.
This would mean that we would be very unlikeley to have any cold water shock issues if we fell in.
We would be travelling in close proximety, and due to the nature of canals the risks of getting into trouble and not being able to make it to land without the aid of a buoyancy aid was negligible.
Had we done this trip at a different time of year then we more than likeley would have worn a buoyancy aid.
Very early morning start to drop off the van and then set up
Just about ready to start the adventure
From the very top of the canal you can let the flow take you past the famous Chainbridge Hotel and into Llangollen town- passing the Llangollen International Eisteddfod field on the way.
If you pick the day right you will be treated to mirror like conditions on the water, as well as amazing scenery of the Dee Valley on the right hand side.
As we took the trip in early autumn the leaves were starting to turn and added splashes of colour to the journey.
Drybag attached to sup, keeping the provisions and equipment water tight.
I had the slowest ever game of chicken with this barge until I found the best side for it to pass on
Heading out of town you pass The Sun Inn and The Bryn Howell hotel before pushing on for a few miles onto what is possibly the most visually spectacular part of the Journey.
Waiting at Trefor Basin for our turn to cross the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
At a height of 126ft or 38m the safest and only way to cross on paddleboard is to push or drag along...Local by-laws have in fact banned paddleboarding over the aqueduct.
Ghost rider-Shoving the sup along the water with the paddle.
Yes it's a pink gaiter! ( Masks had just become mandatory in Wales and I thought it was white when I bought it)!
COMMON SENSE KLAXON!!!
Taking risks is an important part of life, in fact it makes life more interesting.
As a sup instructor I have to complete a dynamic risk assesment before every session.
This involves looking out for and noting any hazards and mitigating these with actions.
If the risks outstrip the rewards I do not go ahead with the activity.
Attempting to Paddleboard over this aqueduct :
All you are really doing is paddleboarding on a canal- but in attempting to stand up and paddle across you increase the danger of death exponentially.
Rewards: Poss getting a few likes on Instagram/Facebook.
Risks: A thin bar of metal at trip height being the only thing between you and a potential 126ft drop.
Winds.
Submerged objects.
Possibility of being knocked into by someone on your group/not in your group sending you tumbling.
Basically what I am getting at is if you stand up for a selfie or to show off, you are putting yourself at massive risk compared to the rewards.
This would make you either a very stupid or selfish person....or both!
Just push it along
Ample canalside parking for your sup.
You never quite know what you are going to see on the canal. Just after the aqueduct we found this barge selling coffee and and ice cream.
Word of warning
The entire time I was on the canal I only felt that I was going to fall in/ be in danger once- just after this coffee break.
A canal boat passed (at a dizzy speed of 4mph).
This created a current that pulled the front of my sup toward the barge.
I got caught between a retaining wall and the canal boat, with the skipper non the wiser.
The front of my board crumpled as it had nowhere to go and I prepared to fall in.
Luckily there was just enough room for my board to spin with the barge and I did not fall in-but lessons learned.
Not something you see every day. Canal and river staff clearing a fallen tree that was stopping water craft from passing safely. A quick portage and we got around the obstacle.
Onward to the Whitehouse Tunnel, near Chirk. You can paddle through these tunnels on a sup, but a front facing headtorch is a mandatory requirement.
The tunnel is pitch black, except at both ends. This was the best I could get on my phone, (it was lit with a headtorch).
Completed between 1795 and 1802 this was one of the first tunnels in Wales, and indeed the rest of the United Kingdom, that had a towpath all the way through it.
It's wide enough for one boat and at 191 yards/175m it made a good practice for the Chirk tunnel yet to come.
Exit/Entrance of the tunnel depending on what direction you are heading. (Image by Deio Owain)
Chirk Tunnel entrance- GPS: 52°55′46.93″N 3°3′46.73″W
Soon after the Whitegate Tunnel, you come to the Chirk Tunnel.
At 421m long it takes substantially longer to pass through than the Whitegate so it is worth checking if a barge is heading in from the other end- (Ask a walker or look for a front facing light).
It's a long way to back up and not as easy to drag your sup up onto the towpath whilst in the dark.
You know when you are getting closer to Chirk as you can smell it!
Not an unpleasant smell, but there are two factories in the centre of Chirk, one making chocolate products and the other making wooden boards.
I imagine it's a bit like how Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory would smell during renovations.
On exiting the tunnel there is a feeling of floating in mid air with the reflection forming a slightly disorientating sphere.
You can just about make out Deio's headlamp down the tunnel in this pic.
Straight out and into the light we now head toward the 2nd aqueduct of the trip.
The railway bridge to the right was built higher than the aqueduct to show the railways superiority over the canals.
Although compared to public transport in parts of Wales, it still may be quicker to get to some places by canal-and that includes building the canal. :)
There is parking nearby on Castle Road, so if you are looking for a shorter trip you can park up and join here.
Chirk Tunnel in background, railway bridge on the left of the picture and yes I am stood up...
Common sense claxon
I mentioned earlier about how dangerous and irresponsible it would be to paddle over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct...So how is this any different?
In short, the risks are much less here, (on the day we crossed it), compared to Pontcysyllte.
If you look to the left of the image there is a sizeable concrete barrier and a metal/wood/rubber buffer.
Rather than one small incident causing a catastrophic fall, there would need to be a large series of smaller events causing you to get anywhere near the edge.
(Google the 'swiss cheese' accident model for a better explination of this).
On the day there was hardly any wind.
Had there been we may have chosen to push the Sup's over the aqueduct...
Just because it is relatively safe to stand up on this day, conditions like wind may have made it dangerous on another day.
It is always worth taking all factors into consederation before making a decision.
Alternatively you could prone paddle over (Paddle laying on your belly using your hands and arms as the paddle).
Knowing the risks and how to mitigate them can mean a safe and enjoyable crossing of the Chirk Aqueduct by paddleboard.
Interestingly by the time you have crossed from one side of the the aqueduct to the other, you have also moved from one country to another.
Wales>England, (no need for a passport).
After all that work, it was time for a spot of dinner (or lunch if you're posh).
There are several places to eat or buy provisions in Chirk, including: The Bridge Inn, The Poachers, The Lord Moreton and The Lion Quays.
All within a short paddle/ paddle and walk from the aqueduct.
We chose The Poachers for food as we could keep an eye on our boards whilst sat on the terrace.
The food was pretty decent as well.
After The Lion Quays (hotel) the canal becomes a lot quieter pedestrian wise as it doglegs towards Hindford and Lower Frankton.
I have to be honest; the part of the trip between the Lion Quays and Whittington Wharf was my least favourite section.
It was more about putting in the miles than anything else.
It is mainly open agriculture land that is nice but not half as spectacular as the rest of the journey.
I can also imagine that along that stretch you would be more open to the elements had the weather not been as good.
With the sun setting, we were running out of time, and as yet not found a place to bed down...All part of the adventure.
The Narrowboat Inn is on the crossroad where the canal heads under the A495.
We had a great welcome from the landlord and he even topped up one of our water bottles.
As the above picture suggests we were rapidly running out of daylight and as yet had not discovered anywhere suitable to bed down for the night.
We push on to Lower Frankton junction and turn right.
Had we continued straight we would have been heading in the wrong direction, ending up near Ellesmere.
View of the clear starry night from my bed-taken on my phone
I chose to sleep on top of my sup in a bivvi and sleeping bag combo.
Deio set up a bivvi tent.
We took dried food provisions (Granola/nuts/choritzo) and did not need to cook and did not light a fire.
Any toilet issues were solved in the public house before leaving, and back at home in the morning!!
Camp in the morning light. That sleeping bag was way too thin.
As much as anything else, this was a trip to learn what we could and couldn't do and work out what we should leave behind/take next trip.
Drinking cola and getting to sleep was definately something that I couldn't do!
I tried to delude myself that the spectacular celestial view was a fair substitute for the lack of sleep.
Sleeping on top of my sup was not as uncomfortable as I was expecting-probably no different to a self inflating matress.
The sleeping bag I chose to take, although compact, was definately not adequate for a trip at this time of year, despite mild temperatures overnight.
I used a bivvy,sleeping bag liner, micro sleeping bag and slept fully clothed.
Although I never shivered, I was never quite warm enough in the night.
I woke before my alarm went off and could not get back to sleep; so woke Deio.
We packed up and had breakfast, before pushing forward onto the final leg of the journey.
Breakfast.
More breakfast.....
Left it exactly as we found it.
All packed up and ready to go.
Notice we have left nothing behind.
On the canal just before sunrise
We had planned the trip so in the morning we would only be paddling for roughly three hours before getting to our final destination.
It was amazing to see the sunrise from the canal, but in all honesty, with the lack of sleep and the long day paddling previously, as much as it was great, it was also a very tough going.
It's about 7.30am. We have been paddling since 6am. Both low on energy-time for a headstand then. :)
Smelling a bit funky by now.
Journey's end.
We head back to Llangollen to grab my van.
I head home for a shower and a proper sleep.
Proper fun adventure taking just over 24 hours .
Lots learned.
Have any questions about the trip?
Want to get into paddleboarding?
Want lessons?
please contact me on padlgog@gmail.com or fill in a form here: https://padlgog.com/
Deio Owain offers sup and Surf lessons on the Llŷn Peninsula.
He is contactable here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/llynsurfschool/about/
Happy paddling ;) :)
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