(Sunday 12th October, 2025)
Over to Chirk this morning in Wrexham County Borough. We parked up at Canal View in Chirk Bank, which meant we actually started our walk in England (the village of Chirk Bank is in Shropshire), and crossed over to Wales just a short while later. We walked west along the towpath towards the Aqueduct and Viaduct, passing the community gardens and allotments as we went. Although it was a little misty, it was very tranquil and the bushes and trees that line the canal were showing off their autumn colours. And, as you might expect, there was also plenty of colour in the narrowboats that we encountered along the way.
The Chirk Aqueduct overlooks the spectacular Ceiriog Valley. Looking down from our high vantage point, we could see why the rushing water below has given the River Ceiriog its reputation as the fastest flowing river in Wales. Just east of Chirk, the Ceiriog empties out into the River Dee.
Chirk Aqueduct and Viaduct
The Aqueduct was built between 1796 and 1801 and rises 21 metres (70 feet) above the valley floor. The Chirk Viaduct runs parallel to the Aqueduct, although it’s a little higher at 30 metres (98 feet), and this was built between 1846 and 1848, nearly fifty years later. It’s always fascinating to see the building work involved with these wonderful pieces of architecture. During today’s visit, we noticed that the extra height of the Viaduct is clearly favoured by scores of Jackdaws: in fact, they regularly broke away in smaller groups to investigate the inside walls of the arches, presumably looking for small insects. What was particularly intriguing was the Jackdaws’ upright stance as they gripped the bricks and masonry with their claws: I’d never before seen Jackdaws demonstrate such ability.
Jackdaw gripping tightly while grubbing
We paused just before the Chirk Tunnel and decided against entering. Not that we’re scaredy-cats, of course! No, the tunnel is quite a stretch without a torch (421 metres apparently, or 1,381 feet) and it looked pitch black inside. We could see two beams of light penetrating the darkness as we peered down the tunnel, and these lights eventually revealed themselves as belonging to a narrowboat as it slowly emerged near us. The tunnel is only wide enough for one narrowboat at a time, hence the one waiting in the foreground of the photograph. The towpath carries on through the length of the tunnel and we saw walkers as well as cyclists following it or, more accurately, we saw their torches!
The narrowboat gradually emerged from the darkness
There is a distinct current in the canal which flows generally southwards. It wasn’t so much because of the narrowboats that we noticed it, but the Mallards and Moorhens. Well, the one pair of Moorhens we saw were characteristically shy and quickly disappeared behind the vegetation overhanging the far bank of the canal. The Mallards, though, were having to put some effort into paddling northwards across the Aqueduct and thus against the flow, although they seemed to have adapted to it. (It was like water off a duck’s back as far as they were concerned).
We re-traced our route, carrying on past the car, and then crossed the road to re-join the towpath on the other side. We passed the Chirk Bank Post Office Collection Box on the corner and noticed some very interesting gardens on the opposite bank of the canal, and some very quirky ones too! We kept going along the path, just savouring the tranquillity, until we reached a point where the canal begins to sweep gently south. Here, we decided to turn back and go in search of refreshments.
The important stuff
Just a short trip to Caffi Wylfa in Castle Road, where we had our usual cappuccinos with Bakewell (Stu) and Date and Walnut cake (Col). Very appetising!
