The Llangollen Canal

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We have had our canal boat for 5 days now and it has been an amazing experience. Very relaxing. We are on the Llangollen Canal which starts in England just south of Chester which is just south of Liverpool. We started around mid-point on the canal going northwest into Wales to the canals starting point at Llangollen. The countryside is beautiful moving from rolling pasture to hilly, wooded country. The canal goes along a ridge as you move up it. The stretch from Gobowen where we started to Llangollen includes 2 locks (no lockmaster so self operated), 2 tunnels (one 491 meters long) and 2 aquaducts (one short and with a ledge on both sides and one longer one with just a metal lip on one side and a walkway on the other). The aquaducts are essentially a constructed box about 300-500 feet above ground. They span a valley and are filled with water for the boats enabling a canal to have limited elevation change despite hills and valleys. This is a great canal for its beauty and opportunity to experience key features of being on a narrow boat canal. Llangollen is a small, quaint town. People are very friendly. Wandered through the town, watched Germany beat Argentina in a local pub and took a steam train ride. We spent a day there before heading back down the canal. We are now at Ellsemere, a small town further down the Llangollen Canal. Will spend a day here visiting an old castle, grocery shopping and catching up with internet items. Have taken lots of pictures along the canal. Hard to choose which ones to attach to give you a feel for our experience.

Food, Food, Food! I had my first serving of steak and kidney pie in a pub in Llangollen. A little nervous. Even though I am used to eating tongue, heart and liver, kidney is a little offputting. It was quite good with a wonderful puff pastry on top. Should have taken a picture. David doesn't eat organ meats, period so he took a tiny taste of the gravy and that was it. English pubs traditionally serve roast (mostly beef, but sometimes pork or chicken) on Sundays so we had to try it. I had the beef roast dinner and David had the chicken. Very small serving of meat by US standards - barely 2 oz., BUT came with 1/2 cup each of mashed rutabaga, peas, carrots and cabbage plus 6 or 7 small new potatoes and a small ball of sage dressing. Quite good.

Internet access is limited along the canal so may not send another message until we reach London. Take care and wish us good sailing!

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