Hiking Highlight
This Highlight is in a protected area
Please check local regulations for: Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a feat of engineering that carries the Llangollen Canal over the River Dee. The dizzying journey along the ‘stream in the sky’ is an exhilarating experience whether you are on a boat or on foot. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure was completed in 1805 and was the longest aqueduct in Great Britain and the highest canal aqueduct in the world at the time.
October 8, 2019
This famed 'stream in the sky' eighteen arched engineering marvel designed by Thomas Telford and the lesser known William Jessop is simply fantastic. I was lucky enough to have visited this along with the equally impressive Aqueduct of Segovia in Spain in the same month. Both of these sites being UNESCO World Heritage Sites but Pontcysyllte is unique as you can traverse the entire length on foot and by boat. It's very impressive to watch kayakers and boat users bob across this aerial waterway against a beautiful lofty backdrop.
Fair play the setting is stunning; the aqueduct is truly breathtakingly impressive and foot access via nearby car parks is easy. There is an all day £3 parking charge for the car parks and there are toilets in the smaller car park at Trevor Basin. There is also a small cafe on one side of the canal and a cute little visitor centre on the other side. The visitor centre is has friendly staff and a small one room display that contains a tv display, historic information boards and some interesting engineering artefacts along with some other odds and sods.
All in all a top attraction well worth visiting along with an 18km out and back hike along the Canal to Llangollen and back.
6 days ago
Need a good head for heights if you want to walk across, just a narrow canal & footpath. There is a metal fence/handrail along the footpath and nothing on the other side of the canal
August 23, 2022
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