Wales

A cold,windy day.  So cold I was grateful for leaving the brass monkeys at home - no room on board. At the end of the Chirk aqueduct ( 70 feet high )- is a sign proclaiming "welcome to Wales", so we finally made it.

Immediately after the sign we disappeared into the darkness of Chirk tunnel, a link to the welsh history of coal mining perhaps ?

Before long we were on the infamous Pontcysyllte aqueduct, 1000 ft long,127 ft high and completed in1805, the year of Nelson's death at Trafalgar. It is awesome. Halfway across our boat, and the boat behind, stopped,despite having increased throttles applied. In the end we worked out the high ( in both senses ) wind was pinning us against the wooden canal edge. Lynne pushed the front against the wind while I steered the back which,with maximum throttle, eventually enabled us to complete the crossing, exhausted and freezing. We finally moored before a one-way canal section ready for our final approach on Llangollen in the morning.

This autumn is very early, trees changing colour and losing leaves, fruit forming and ripening at least a month before normal and corn ready for harvest already. A good argument for global warming if you are that way inclined. Whilst I acknowledge the climate is changing I do not buy all this human induced palaver and point back to known major climate changes which occurred before our species arrived on earth.  Admittedly we do  little or nothing to help the situation but why bother when what's happening is inevitable ? Just get on with your own life to make it better and leave the rest alone. 

BELOW

1).    View into Chirk tunnel prior to turning on boat headlight. !!!  Welcome to Wales

3)     View out of Chirk tunnel

2. 4 to 8) Views from and on the Pontcysyllte aqueduct

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