Loafing around Llangollen

We’ve had nearly a week lurking in Llangollen basin, enjoying some fine days, keeping our heads down when it was wet and windy.

The River Dee from Dee Bridge last Friday.

When we’re here I mostly shop on the High Street, there’s a good butcher, grocer, bakers and around the corner a useful hardware store. But on Monday I decided to check out the fairly recent Aldi at the northern edge of the town. The supermarket was ok, but the walk along the riverside was probably the finest trip to a shop I’ve ever made. Even on a gloomy day…

A few minor jobs got done while we were hanging about, restitching some of the seams on the cratch cover, a bit of rewiring. But generally we just chilled.

We needed a change of scene though, so today, in a brisk breeze but under blue skies we backed out of our slot in the basin and headed back out onto the cut.

The moorings had never had more than five boats occupying the 30-some berths while we’ve been here, with us and a Canaltime boat leaving this morning that left just one.

Past Llangollen Wharf…


…and along the single-width narrows.

We pulled in on the rings just before Llandyn Lift Bridge, after just a mile.

From here we look out across the canal and up the hill to the silhouette of Castell Dinas Bran…

…and in the field below a group of locals and their offspring.

I see that Boris’ new Chancellor has done what he promised and scrapped the tax break for red diesel for pleasure use. That means that by March 2022 we’ll be buying Derv from marinas, or red diesel at Derv prices. An extra 48p per litre. Ouch. Still, the writings been on the wall since the EU told us we shouldn’t be getting the tax break in 2008. And then the Court of European Justice underlined the ruling last July, making it illegal. You’d have thought that their decision would no longer be valid though, us not being in the club any more…

Locks 0, miles 1