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| The Pontcysyllte aqueduct seen from the towpath |
This is our last day in Shrewsbury and our last chance to visit the Pontcysyllte aqueduct. The weather forecast was for cloudy periods in the morning with rain setting in around 1200. We decided to leave for Chirk early but on looking into it yesterday I found that the bus service was nowhere as frequent as the tourist information suggested. There is just one bus from Chirk every two hours and this makes a very bad connection with the train. Of the four taxi companies in Chirk, one was busy, one didn't know and the other two were disconnected. We decided to walk along the towpath and back from Chirk. This worked out pretty well. It was about 3 1/2 miles each way and the towpath is, of course, level and mostly good walking.
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| The Whitehouse tunnel |
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| Entering the Whitehouse tunnel |
We set off from Chirk under threatening skies, the first section being through very tall trees. The 174m Whitehouse tunnel posed no problems for us this time round as we had both brought along our small flashlights, There were glimpses of the Pontcysyllte aqueduct some way before we reached it. It is the highest aqueduct in the UK, 126 feet high and 336 yards long, and was opened in 1801 by Thomas Telford. As we walked across the aqueduct it came on to rain and we walked back in light rain. The wind did get up but was nowhere as fierce as it was the day we walked over the Chirk aqueduct.
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| Still in daily use even though it is over 200 years old. |
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| This interesting structure is a lifting road bridge balanced with a wooden beam. |
We returned to Chirk in wet weather and came back to Shrewsbury for a late lunch at the Post Office, an old coaching inn..
We went out this evening, in spite of the rain, to the Three Fishes. To say good bye. Wendy was working this evening and we had the chance to talk to Harry again and to thank him for recommending the Coach and Horses as a place with a good carvery.
The month has flown by and we have had a good time. I am sure we will be coming back.
When we went over the Pontcysyllte aqueduct we found that constant rubbing of the metal hull of the narrow boat against the iron trough resulted in much paint being burnt off the boat's hull as the friction was constant and quite hard. No-one mentions that particuar hazard!
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