Welsh Mega Steam – day seven

Broken towel rail and proper trains

Before breakfast, I reported the towel rail that I broke on day six to the cleaners and security guard. The guard told me they are brittle and he would get it repaired – which he did.

After a large breakfast, we boarded our coach for a trip to Llangollen Railway. This was the first standard gauge railway we had been on, apart from the main line.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct; picture taken by Akke Monasso (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Before the railway, we stopped at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal over the valley of the River Dee. I walked the length of the 1,007 foot aqueduct, which was built in 1795, and is 11 feet wide and 126 feet high. It makes quite a spectacle.

English: Llangollen Steam Railway. Train arriving into the town station in Llangollen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This was the railway’s open day, and we had tickets which allowed us to ride on any train we liked, all day. We were also able to go our separate ways, so I chose to spend the day in my company.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day riding in first class compartments, and an autocoach. We spent a total of eight and a half hours at the railway, and I took many photos and video. I also had a brief look around town and picked up an accommodation booklet from the Tourist Information.

In many ways the first multipe unit which relegated the tank engine to the role of a power car whilst the driver drove from the end cars. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Llangollen would make a great place for a short break with plenty to do in the area. Apart from the railway, nearby is the Horseshoe Falls and boat rides on the canal.

We arrived back at the University at 18:00, giving me time to update my blog and check out the repaired towel rail.

Return to the itinerary page

Related articles

• Built in 1805: The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the Longest and Highest Aqueduct in Britain and a World Heritage Site (reginajeffers.wordpress.com)
• World Heritage Stories : Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)