Canal Holidays in Wales.

WHY CHOOSE A CANAL BOAT HOLIDAY IN WALES​?

Wales is famous for its beautiful scenery which ranges from mighty mountains to gently rolling hills and valleys or to picturesque towns and villages. A canal boat holiday on the Llangollen canal is a perfect way to explore the welsh countryside at a pace it truly deserves. From our marina at Blackwater Meadow hire a canal boat and be prepared to take a narrowboat holiday of a lifetime.

There are many advantages to a canal boat holiday in Wales no long delays or airport strikes and Wales is very accessible to most of the large towns and cities in the UK. So remove the stress of a long haul holiday and opt instead for a “Staycation” on a narrowboat in the beautiful Welsh countryside.

Your staring point for this wonderful canal boat holiday experience is Blackwater Meadow in the attractive market town of Ellesmere. Standing on the banks of the majestic Llangollen Canal in Shropshire the area is known as the “Shropshire Lakeland” due to the numbers of lakes (meres).

The Llangollen Canal meanders through some spectacular scenery taking you through some of the most amazing feats of engineering to be found on the canal system. Marvel at the Chirk Aqueduct and its neighbour the world famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. In June 2009 The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct became a World Heritage site and puts it on a par with Great Barrier Reef and Statue of Liberty.

Wales is a country steeped in legend from the legends of King Arthur to stories of princesses, giants and dragons. You are bound to come across some of these welsh myths on your narrowboat holiday and with a back drop of the stunning Welsh landscape it's easy to let your imagination take you away. One such tale is the legend surrounding Castell Dinas Bran. According to 12th and 13th manuscripts the castle was reputed to be the hiding place for the Holy Grail. Locals tell a different and more recent tale of a treasure-filled cave beneath the castle which can only be found by a boy who is followed by a white dog with silver eyes.

You won't need to learn the Welsh language to get by on a Welsh canal barge holiday but maybe just a grasp of some of the pronunciations will help. The 'll' sound does take a little practice simply get ready to say the l sound but blow as for that infamous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct? Start with calling it Pont Ker Sulty and work from there.

Another difficulty for most English speakers is the 'dd' which sound nothing like a 'd' sound at all it is more like a 'th' as in 'this' sound. Have a practice and then why not greet the other narrowboat occupants along the way with a Welsh good morning 'bore da' (boreh da), or bide good night to the locals in the canal-side pub with a 'nos da'.

Canal Boat holidays in Wales are a great choice for those who really want to unwind and to enjoy the experience of being close to nature. The canal is home to a vast selection of wildlife such as otters, dragonflies, water voles and kingfishers. There are many advantages to a canal boat holiday in Wales no airport delays and Wales is very accessible to most large towns and cities in the UK. So remove the stress of a long haul holiday and opt instead for a “Staycation”