n e ll o g Llan
Exploring
Renowned for the surrounding hills and the River Dee, historic Llangollen has something for everyone. Steve Goodier paid the stunning riverside town a visit…
I go back a long way with the charming town of Llangollen and in my mind I always associate it with bright sunny days when the River Dee sparkles as it passes through the centre of it. Of course I have been there on less perfect days too and often stopped for a coffee and some food on dusky winter afternoons after snowy days on the hills surrounding the Horseshoe Pass and the higher Berwyn mountain range to the east. Steve Haywood’s book ‘Narrow Boat Nomads’ is about a retired couple who went to live on their narrow boat. After an idyllic summer exploring the nations canal network, winter approached and they wanted somewhere to moor up for the dark days and so headed for Llangollen as it held memories for them and they liked it a lot. That sums the town up nicely! It is both pleasant and lovely and is usually bustling with both tourists and outdoor enthusiasts no matter whatever season of
well as a reasonable selection of camping and
the year it happens to be. My one time climbing partner Peter
caravan sites to accommodate visitors who like to bring
(he actually taught me to rock climb) left his job in Oswestry
their own accommodation with them.
to buy a DIY shop in Llangollen and settle there, and it is no surprise to me that the Victorian author George Borrow (1803-
There are plenty of shops for just browsing around and of
1881) chose to base himself in Llangollen for over a month
course, the tumbling River Dee provides a backdrop to the
before setting out on his walking tour of Wales in 1854 which
whole scene. The Victorian Promenade is a popular walk
he recorded in the classic travel work ‘Wild Wales’. If you
and the arched bridge near the weir is a popular place for
would like some idea of what the town was like when Queen
people to just idle away a bit of time and watch the water
Victoria sat on the throne of England grab yourself a copy of
cascading beneath them. The current river bridge dates from
this much loved book and have a read.
the 16th Century and replaced a previous structure which dated from 1345. The bridge you see today was extended
Llangollen takes its name from the Welsh ‘Llan’ which means
by adding a further arch in the 1860’s to accommodate the
‘a religious settlement’ and from the 6th Century Monk
recently arrived railway. Sadly Llangollen’s railway closed to
Saint ‘Collen’ who founded a Church besides the River Dee.
passengers in 1965 and to freight in 1969. Although the line
The modern town has a population of somewhere around
was lifted a ten mile stretch has since been restored between
4,000 but this is swollen by visitor numbers through spring,
Llangollen and Corwen and this is where the popular tourist
summer and autumn. The main town centre has a great
attraction of ‘The Llangollen Railway’ operates. It is the only
selection of cafés, restaurants, bars, hotels and B&B’s – as
standard gauge railway in North Wales and the journey to
NWM 2021 Page 31
