It’s gone all quiet again.

After the rush (!) of boats over the last couple of weeks while the little darlings have been off school, the canal has gone very quiet. We left one boat in Langollen Basin this morning, and apart from a chap just leaving the service wharf, there was only one on the moorings above the town. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
We’ve had a few days taking it easy, mainly just hunkered down out of the weather. After being bounced about for 24 hours we moved across the basin to a more sheltered spot where we weren’t broadside on to the wind. Much quieter.

We’re officially in Spring now, and the shrubbery seems to know it too!

We left the basin at around 10 o’clock, cruising through the narrow channel above the town to the mournful steam whistle of a locomotive down at the station.


The town, when I went down for some shopping this morning, was quite busy. These two fine examples of public transport were parked in the station entrance

I’m guessing that there’s some sort of nostalgic excursion on today. The blue bus is a Leyland Titan PD2, which first entered service in 1958. Retired in 1974, it spent the next 6 years driver training, then became part of the 201 Bus Group preservation society.
The green one is a Bristol Lodekka (I wonder who thought that up!), built in 1964 and out of service in 1977. The Lodekka design did away with the traditional step up from the rear passenger entrance to the main corridor, through redesign of the chassis and rear axle.

Through the narrows leaving Llangollen.


Castell Dinas Bran on the hill overlooking the town

Strangely enough I’ve not been up there this time; I usually do. I suppose with Meg no longer able to go that far I’ve lost the incentive.








We had a steady trip back to Trevor, easier going with the flow than against it.

The blind turn under the road that introduces you to the second set of narrow channel, between here and The Sun Trevor.

A man outstanding in his field…

Not, in this case, the farmer. He’s a metal-detectorist (is that even a word?) hoping for the same luck as those two guys in Staffordshire.

Unlike the canal the towpath was busy with a mix of walkers, runners and cyclists. We emerged onto Trevor Branch Junction to find the aqueduct empty but the towpath alongside busy.


We had more than our fair share of photos taken as we came over!

What an excellent spot for a football pitch!


After the aqueduct we filled with water then went around the corner, through the lift bridge and along the embankment above the Dee. We were thinking of stopping along here, but the weather stayed fine so we pushed on, stopping near Chirk Marina.

The drakes were arguing over prospective mates…


…and the cormorants were drying their wings, aloof to all the commotion.

Liver Bird impressions!


The day started better than it finished – after we’d tied up the rain started, and we’ve had showers since. The rest of the weekend is looking damp too, so we’ll probably stay here a couple of days.
I think we’ll be on a steady trip east now. We’ve been over that aqueduct 8 times this winter!

Locks 0, miles 7