TravelCrunch

The Llangollen canal between Llantysilio and Chirk is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United Kingdom than spans two countries. The listed section covers a distance of 18 kilometres and includes two aqueducts spanning deep valleys, as well as two tunnels. It was built between 1793 and 1808 and remarkably, given the terrain; no locks were employed. It was added to the list in 2009, but I have known it as long as I can remember. The fields of the farm I grew up on went down to the canal. I remember being given a fishing rod and trying unsuccessfully to catch a fish. I didn’t even catch an old boot or supermarket trolley. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why travel is one of my hobbies and not fishing. I remember our attempts as Scouts to cross the canal without getting wet, but inevitably someone would fall in, as we attempted to get across on ropes.

The canal was a branch of the Ellesmere Canal that linked Chester, the Mersey estuary, the Severn and the Midlands canal network. In fact it is still possible to get to London by canal from Llangollen. The canal was built near the start of the Industrial Revolution to Thomas Telford’s design and the work overseen by William Jessop. Telford designed the aqueducts at Chirk and Pontcysyllte using innovative materials and construction for that time.
Chirk Aqueduct

The boundary of the UNESCO site is at the bridge at Rhosweil, a kilometre inside England. The photo above, is of Chirk Aqueduct, here there is a sign at the English side of the aqueduct saying ‘Welcome to England’ and a sign at the Welsh end saying ‘Welcome to Wales’. I wonder where you are when you are on the aqueduct itself? If you have an amusing answer then drop it in the comments.
The aqueduct across the Ceiriog Valley, is now eclipsed in height by the railway viaduct running alongside. A civil engineering statement about railway supremacy, something that the M1 motorway failed to do to the West Coast Main Line railway at Watford Gap. The railway embankment rises above the M1 as trains speed past the motorway traffic at nearly double the speed.
Chirk tunnel

Shortly after Chirk Aqueduct the canal enters a 420 metre long tunnel. Which along with the 175 metre tunnel at Whitehurst, were the first in Britain to incorporate a towpath. The route of the canal is easy walking, even when it enters the steep sided Dee Valley, as it was designed to follow the contours of the land and falls a mere 30 millimetres every kilometre.
Pontcysyllte aqueduct

Pontcysyllte aqueduct is the most impressive part of the Llangollen canal. Having taken the canal across the Ceiriog Valley, an even bigger obstacle had to be overcome, in the form of the deep glaciated Dee Valley. Telford designed a masterpiece of civil engineering with an aqueduct of nineteen slender hollow masonry piers supporting a cast iron trough with jounts sealed by Welsh flannel, soaked in sugar and sealed with a mixture of white lead and iron particles. The aqueduct carries the canal up to 38 metres above the valley for 307 metres making it the tallest and the longest aqueduct in the UK. Opened in 1805 the canal started making money in 1815 transporting slate, limestone, lime, and iron from the North Wales Coalfield and the Dee Valley. The grandeur of the project sealed Telford’s reputation and he went on to become the first President of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), a fact recorded on a plaque by the canal on the Froncysyllte side.

The canal then hugs the side of the beautiful Dee Valley to Llangollen and beyond to the Horseshoe Falls at Llantysilio. It is possible to hire a boat for the day from the wharf at Llangollen or take a horse drawn barge trip above Llangollen to by just below Pentrefelin. Of course many visitors come by narrowboat, Wrenbury, near Nantwich in Cheshire being a popular starting point for the cruise.
Horseshoe Falls

Due to be closed in 1944,  it was retained, albeit in a non navigable state, to supply water to Hurleston Reservoir, Nantwich. It underwent a renaissance not long after as canal cruises became popular and is now probably the most popular canal for narrowboats in Britain.
Getting there:
Nearest railway station is Chirk
Frequent buses to Trevor and Llangollen from Wrexham and the rail station at Ruabon.
Links:
UNESCO Listing
An unforgettable trip – A narrow boat trip on the Llangollen Canal by @Traveldudes on the VisitBritain SuperBlog