Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Ty Mawr Country Park.

Start. Froncysyllte (Community Village Hall).

Route. Froncysyllte (Community Village Hall) - Langollen Canal - Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - Trevor Basin - River Dee - Ty Mawr Country Park - Cefn Viaduct - Car-Gwilym Lane - Newbridge Road - Newbridge - Pentre - Llangollen Canal - Froncysyllte.

Notes. The highlight of this walk has got to be, without doubt the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Built between 1795-1805 by Thomas Telford in conjunction with William Jessop. This masterpiece of engineering spans the River Dee a 126ft above the valley, carrying the Llangollen Canal in an iron trough 1007ft long, 11ft 10inches wide and held aloft by 18 slender tapering partly hollow pillars creating 19 arches and yes you can walk across it. Got a head for heights, come on then you know you want to.

On this particular walk we parked at the Froncysyllte Community Hall, only because we came across it before any of the car parks in Trevor, as it happened it made a perfect starting point. From Froncysyllte we made our way to the Llangollen Canal, crossed at a footbridge next to a lift bridge to join the tow path, we then turned left slowly walking towards Trevor and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Passed a memorial to the industries that once thrived because of the canal, limestone quarries, coal mines and brickworks, lime kilns still line the canal just east of where we joined the tow path.

We continued walking passed canal boats selling various goods from jewelery to cold drinks and ice cream, then came the aqueduct. An exhilarating walk high above the valley with stunning views, for those who dare look down a dizzy view one not to be forgotten. On the other side Trevor Basin a hive of activity, lots of long boats and people, we made for a path descending to the River Dee.

Before strolling along it’s tree lined banks we took time to soak up the impressive architecture now towering above our heads, we felt small and humble staring up at tiny figures looking over the parapet. Before somebody dropped whatever device they were using to take photos we thought we best move, down stream good paths under foot. Riverside rambling guided us through Ty Mawr Country Park to another impressive structure, Cefn Viaduct. Built in the 1800s, an astonishing 1510ft long, 19 arches carry the Shrewsbury to Chester line 147ft above the valley.

The path guided us in front of the massive structure into the car park of Ty Mawr Country Park, we then reached a tarmac road, turned right, passed under the railway line then descended to Newbridge. I expected this road to be busy, what a stroke of luck there’d been a land slip it was closed to traffic, so just us and the odd cyclist made our way over the River Dee passed the land slip to Pentre, we then joined the Llangollen Canal. Through dappled light we wandered, a pleasant end to todays outing, we passed the large kilns mentioned in the text above, testament to Froncysyllte industrial past, the footbridge we crossed at the offset of the walk guided us back over the canal, a short walk down the road the car waited on a now packed Community Hall car park.

view route map.

home.

We join the Llangollen Canal at this footbridge and lift bridge.

Memorial to the industries that thrived because of the canal.

126ft above the Vale of Llangollen.

This iron trough carries the canal above the valley, all 1007ft of it. The mortar uses was made of oxen blood, lime and water. Welsh flannel dipped in boiling sugar and lead sealed the joints. The iron castings were made at nearby Cefn Mawr. It was the highest navigable aqueduct in the world and was built to extend the canal to the Dee at Chester, however although much of the canal had been completed by 1805 the section through Wrexhan to the Dee at Chester was abandoned due to financial and technical difficulties.

High above the River Dee.

Look at me don't look down, Sue poses for a holiday snap.

Trevor Basin a hive of activity.

A humbling sight.

Here's some useless information, right under that arch is a plug, around every two years the plug is pulled, the trough is drained for servicing, there is a competition between local school children to see who gets to pull the plug.

The Cefn Viaduct, built in 1848 to carry the Shrewsbury to Chester line across the Dee Valley.

Across Ty Mawr Country Park the many arches of the Cefn Viaduct.

After a walk along a closed road (closed after Storm Christoph in 2021) we were glad to step back onto the Llangollen Canal.

Approaching the basin at Froncysyllte we passed a number of massive kilns testament to the villages industrial past.

Looking to Froncysyllte Basin.

back to top

back to list