8 minute read
Town in focus
Renowned for the surrounding hills and the River Dee, Llangollen Exploring
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 the year it happens to be. My one time climbing partner Peter (he actually taught me to rock climb) left his job in Oswestry to buy a DIY shop in Llangollen and settle there, and it is no surprise to me that the Victorian author George Borrow (18031881) chose to base himself in Llangollen for over a month before setting out on his walking tour of Wales in 1854 which he recorded in the classic travel work ‘Wild Wales’. If you would like some idea of what the town was like when Queen Victoria sat on the throne of England grab yourself a copy of this much loved book and have a read.
Llangollen takes its name from the Welsh ‘Llan’ which means ‘a religious settlement’ and from the 6th Century Monk Saint ‘Collen’ who founded a Church besides the River Dee. The modern town has a population of somewhere around 4,000 but this is swollen by visitor numbers through spring, summer and autumn. The main town centre has a great selection of cafés, restaurants, bars, hotels and B&B’s – as well as a reasonable selection of camping and caravan sites to accommodate visitors who like to bring their own accommodation with them.
There are plenty of shops for just browsing around and of course, the tumbling River Dee provides a backdrop to the whole scene. The Victorian Promenade is a popular walk and the arched bridge near the weir is a popular place for people to just idle away a bit of time and watch the water cascading beneath them. The current river bridge dates from the 16th Century and replaced a previous structure which dated from 1345. The bridge you see today was extended by adding a further arch in the 1860’s to accommodate the recently arrived railway. Sadly Llangollen’s railway closed to passengers in 1965 and to freight in 1969. Although the line was lifted a ten mile stretch has since been restored between Llangollen and Corwen and this is where the popular tourist attraction of ‘The Llangollen Railway’ operates. It is the only standard gauge railway in North Wales and the journey to
Corwen is simply stunning as the steam and diesel trains pass along the delightful Dee Valley and through part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
But its not just railways that have history with this Welsh town. The Llangollen Canal has many historic ties and eleven miles of the current waterway from Gledrid to the Horseshoe Falls (which is a superb weir) via the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is classed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The canal was originally built as a feeder canal that ran from Trevor and was to be used to tap the waters from the River Dee at Llantysilio (near the aforementioned Horseshoe Falls). It provided a link to the Ellesmere Canal which was built to connect the coal mines and iron works at Ruabon and Wrexham to main canal network and so give a link to the sea via The River Mersey and The River Severn. The Ellesmere Canal was incorporated into The Shropshire Union Canal and until recently The Llangollen Canal was known as The Llangollen Branch of The Shropshire Union Canal. Today it has reverted back to its original name and as is unusual amongst our canal network as it has a strong flow of around variously been translated at ‘Crow Castle’, ‘Crow City’, ‘Hill of the Crow’ or ‘Bran’s Stronghold’.
On the outskirts of Llangollen you will find Plas Newydd
which was the home of the celebrated ‘Ladies of Llangollen’ from 1780. It was here that the Honourable Sarah Ponsonby, Lady Eleanor Butler and their maid Mary Caryll lived. They were two upper class Irish women who fled their home
country to avoid being forced into unwanted marriages and they lived together for 50 years with their relationship both fascinating and scandalising contemporary society. They devoted their time to receiving friends and visitors, extensive correspondence, studies of literature and language and improving their estate.
The Horseshoe Pass rises to 1,368 ft/417 metres above Llangollen and it attracts numerous motorists who find
following the winding A542 to the Ponderosa Café at the pass summit a very rewarding experience. This café is very popular with motorcyclists who congregate there in large numbers after negotiating the bends of the surrounding road network.
And of course we can’t leave Llangollen without mentioning its part in Welsh culture. The town is the home of the International Musical Eisteddfod (held annually) and hosted the national Eisteddfod in 1908.
This year the International Musical Eisteddfod was cancelled due to Coronavirus pandemic but the organisers offered digital options and a weekend hybrid event featuring artists from the 2020 concert programme instead.
The town also hosts The Llangollen Fringe Festival each July and this celebrates music, comedy, theatre and dance. As well as this there is Dee Rocks which is a local fundraising festival held during May when the town hall is transformed into a music venue.
Llangollen is a real gem of a place and holds something for everyone – be they day visitor or a tourist who wants to stay longer. The outdoor possibilities around the area are endless, but you could easily spend two very full days just seeing the sights this valley town has to offer. n
two miles per hour. The Llangollen Canal is a major part of the tourist scene around Llangollen and is one of the busiest of all our canals due to its twisting route through the Welsh hills and the way it crosses The Dee Valley on the awesome Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
Llangollen has a long history and near the town you will find
the ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey where I was once brought as a child on a very memorable school trip to view it and the nearby ancient Pillar of Eliseg. The Abbey was established in its lovely setting around 1201 under the patronage of Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor of nearby Castell Dinas Bran.
This castle can’t fail to be seen by anyone visiting Llangollen as it occupies a strategic position at the top of a 1,054 ft/321 metre hill. The ruins can be visited via a strenuous walk but the stunning views from the top are well worth the effort required. The current castle was built around the 1260’s by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor who was a Prince of Powys Fadog. It occupies the site of several earlier fortifications the oldest
of which is thought to be an Iron Age hill fort. Its name has
What to do
Llangollen Bridge
Llangollen Bridge is built across the River Dee at the North end of the high street. The Bridge is listed as one of the seven wonders of Wales and is a Grade I listed structure. This summer the iconic Llangollen Bridge was turned into a giant patchwork in order to celebrate the return of the International Musical Eisteddfod. This new temporary installation artwork is entitled “Bridges not Walls”.
Plas Newydd
The historic Plas Newydd was the home of the Ladies of Llangollen for nearly 50 years. Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby captured the imagination of Regency society as they received a stream of visitors to the unpretentious little cottage which, over time, they transformed into a Gothic fantasy. Inside Plas Newydd today, an exhibition including some of their possessions and an audio tour bring their story to vivid life. You can stroll through their gardens and along their riverside walk.
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure is for use by narrowboats and was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build. UNESCO has described this world heritage site as ‘a masterpiece of creative genius’.
Castell Dinas Brân
Castell Dinas Brân is a medieval castle occupying a prominent hilltop site above Llangollen. The castle is believed to have been built in the 1260s by Gruffydd Maelor II, a prince of Powys Fadog, on the site of several earlier structures, including an Iron Age hillfort. Today these impressive castle ruins offer outstanding views of the surrounding area, making the intense hike more than worth it!
Valle Crucis Abbey
Situated just outside of Llangollen, Valle Crucis Abbey was founded for monks of the Cistercian order in the winter of 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor. Valle Crucis means ‘Valley of the Cross’, so named for the 9th Century cross, Eliseg’s Pillar, which stands a short walk from the abbey.
