Pontcysyllte Aqueduct ...

We decided to stay at our mooring ...

... for another day and set off on a walk along the towpath ...

... passing the train viaduct bathed in sunshine ...

... and getting our first sighting through the trees of the 200 year old World Heritage Site Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

... I wonder if this wall is part of the town fortification?

Packet Boats out for winter maintenance have very shallow draughts (the part of the boat that is under the water)

The platform just before the lift bridge would be ideal for Mags to give her regal wave to her loyal citizens as they cruise by!

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct built by Thomas Telford in 1805 was the tallest canal boat crossing in the world at 126 feet high topped with 53 foot wide iron arches

A very well designed memorial to the ...

Chirk Castle Lime Stone Company

An interesting building in the trees across the canal in Froncysyllte but I can't find anything out about it ... any ideas?

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Thomas Telford's birth presented in 2007.

This morning (Saturday) we upped sticks and set off to cruise the aqueduct .. the weather changed suddenly as we approached the lift bridge, it started to hail, then rain and sleet, so when we stopped to fill the water tank we pulled up the pram hood (cover over the rear deck)...

 ... and left it up as we continued ...

These pictures were taken (in the rain) through the front cratch window and the galley window - I don't like heights and there was no way I was going up onto the back deck!

Nothing, except a picture from below, can describe the height of this trough of water as we cruise ...

... that's the edge of the trough on the left and the gunwale of Rock n Roll on the right with just a few inches between the two and the 126 foot drop over the side!

Welsh hills in the distance ...

... and the town of Trevor at the other end of the aqueduct ...

Pontcysyllte traverses the 1,007 foot gap across the Dee Valley ...

... over the River Dee ...

... so far below!

Near the Trevor end of the aqueduct we start pushing the ice in front of us ...

... the noise it made as it dragged along the iron trough was quite disconcerting!

We were going to cruise directly into the basin to rejoin the convoy (NB's Moore2Life and Seyella). Threading our way through the very narrow gap between the moored Anglo Welsh hire boats, we unfortunately forgot that the hood was up when we came to the low bridge ... the damage was not good, the spars have been bent and the canvas torn... oh bum! and even after all that we couldn't get into the basin as it was frozen solid. We reversed back through the hire boats and turned right onto the main line hoping that there would be a mooring place nearby, but no, nothing!

  

We were meeting up with friends and didn't want to go too far from the basin so we reversed once again and put in the pins just to the left of the picture above and we'd just had time to have lunch when they arrived!

Glesni, Gwyn, Buddug and Gwion ... we took them back over the aqueduct, turned, and brought them back again.  Even with the cold rain we had a good time, it was lovely to see them again, the children have grown up into very well mannered little people with lots to say even though they were speaking in English all afternoon.  A good time was had by all.