I’ll be heading up to Llangollen in a weeks time to visit family. We also have friends in Whitchurch which we’ll be seeing. Is it possible to cycle along the canal or quiet lanes from one to the other. I’ll pick up an os map at the weekend but was hoping some local knowledge could be found on here. Cheers

I did the return journey on a narrowboat earlier this summer, and I’m almost certain that you can, apart from possibly a short section leading into Whitchurch. Strava Heatmap seems to suggest there’s a route all the way though. You might want to avoid the tunnels if you haven’t got decent lights though.

That’s great cheers.

can you cycle the pontyscyllyte (sp) aqueduct? i have some vague recollection that you can’t.

I wouldn’t count on the entire towpath being made up, in many rural areas it’s just left as a muddy track. Although thankfully these parts are becoming less and less. If part of your route is sustrans it’s far more likely to be made up.

yeah and to add to what jekkyl said, some of it isn’t necessarily legit

there is a sustrans route criss-crossing with the canal that uses a lot of quiet lanes. would be a nice ride.

Yes there are two fairly long tunnels near Chirk (a few miles south of Llangollen) but the really long one is easy to divert around. As jekkyl said the surface isn’t particularly good, particularly from the south of Chirk to east of St. Martins (and IIRC parts east of Ellesmere) if you’re on a road bike, but on a MTB you’ll be fine.

I got a bit lost at Roving Bridge near Whixhall (I followed the wrong canal because I didn’t have a map 🙄 ).

You aren’t supposed to ride across the aqueduct but if noone else is on it (i.e. fairly late or early) I do.

I’m local to Llangollen and cycle along the canal regularly as a means to get between the local trails without going on the roads.

The Aqueducts are definitely ridable when quiet (if they’re busy I push) as is one tunnel even with 780 bars (better with lights but doable without slowly). If you have good balance you can ride through the Whithurst tunnel but the consequences of a mishap are at worst wet and at best a scrape with the sketchy railing or a shoulder rub on the wall. The Chirk tunnel is easily avoidable. Pop up near Chirk Station and drop back down on the canal at the next Aqeuduct (follow the railway). I’ve never bothered to ride through that tunnel – it’s really long.

I’d never cycled the canal any further than Chirk Bank from Llangollen before but one Wednesday evening in May a friend said lets go to Ellesmere after work so we did. From Llangollen to Chirk the canal is sustrans and the surface is all weather. From the English border at Chirk Bank onwards (the bit I’d not done) it’s a bit hit and miss. Some of it is wide and easy going. Other bits it’s heavy going and narrow – like you could easily fall in if your rear wheel slipped on the narrow bank (one bit was pretty sketchy). Some parts are grassy verges which have hidden bumps and holes to keep you on your toes. It’s all ridable though. There’s a few bridges to cross and gates to open / close along the route if I remember correctly.

There are plenty of nice pubs along the way though.

We were bombing it and even with 140mm travel both ends I felt totally battered when we got to Ellesmere. We landed right outside Tesco! We came back along the road to make a 30+ mile loop.

It’s beautiful countryside.

I’m afraid I don’t know the canal route any further than that but there is a big canal junction just outside Ellesmere and I assume that’s where you can catch the next stretch. Google Earth it…

Have fun!

Cheers gelert and the rest of you. I’ll be on my cross bike so some of those comments mean I’ll be looking at sustrans I think. Liking the look of all the old industrial architecture.