The Llangollen Canal takes you along the beautiful Welsh countryside and valleys, through tunnels and and over the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which rises 39m above the Dee Valley.
Paddle UK membership includes the waterways licence required for paddling this route.
Distance: 14.4km ( miles)
Time: 3 hours
Sat Nav: LL20 8RY
What3Words: ///misted.jars.breeze
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Llangollen is situated on the River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales.
The town sits within the Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and everywhere you look there’s an amazing view.
The closest car park to where we started our paddle at Llangollen Wharf is off Mill Street (LL20 8RY).
The end point is in Chirk (LL14 5DG) and means you have to shuttle between the two points, using two cars.
From Mill Street car park you have to carry your crafts across the road, the A539, and up Wharf Hill.
Llangollen Wharf has a tearoom and gift shop, as well as toilets. They also organise horse drawn boat trips.
The whole length of the canal is a Scheduled Ancient Monument of National Importance.
It was built in the late 18th century to transport limestone and other goods.
The canal became part of the Shropshire Union Canals in the mid-19th century.
It was easy to launch from Llangollen Wharf and then paddle along as we made the trip to Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, about 7km away.
Following breathtaking views of the River Dee Valley, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a popular beauty spot.
Refreshments are available at the Trevor Basin Visitor Centre, run by the Canal and River Trust, so grab a drink and a snack, and enjoy the view.
If you’d prefer, rather than doing the whole route, you could launch here and paddle across the Aqueduct.
About half a million visitors come to admire ‘the stream in the sky’ and there’s safety advice to follow.
There is no protective railing on the canal side, making it a no-go crossing for stand-up paddleboarders.
You’ll need to dismount and walk on the towpath, towing your paddleboard in the water behind you.
You have to wear head lights passing through the tunnels on the trail.
Chirk Aqueduct is the next highlight of the trip and after crossing it, you travel back into England.
Following this it is not long before you reach the end point at the Poacher’s Pub, in Chirk.
