The Pontcycyllte Acqueduct

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - the 'stream in the sky' - has been named as the most captivating UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world.

UNESCO has described this world heritage site as ‘a masterpiece of creative genius’. The first 11 miles of the Llangollen Canal is an outstanding piece of industrial and engineering heritage comprising embankments, tunnels, viaducts and aqueducts, including the stunning Pontcysyllte Aqueduct itself and 31 other listed structures.

Taking the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee valley in North Wales, the aqueduct took ten years to complete and is a fine example of the incredible feats of engineering you can find on our canal network.

Travelling to the Pontcycyllte Acqueduct

Head west from Whitchurch Marina. Your final destination on this part of the trip is the Llangollen Basin. This is an excellent place to explore and it's worth spending a whole day there.
The total distance to the basin from the marina is 30 miles, 6¾ furlongs. Along the way you will encounter:

• 2 locks
• 6 moveable bridges (of which 1 is usually left open)
• 2 small aqueducts or underbridges
• 3 tunnels - the Ellesmere Tunnel (87 yards long), the Chirk Tunnel (459 yards long) and the Whitehouses Tunnel (191 yards long)
• 2 major aqueducts  - the Chirk Aqueduct (237 yards long) and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (336 yards long)

The trip will take approximately 16 hours, 39 minutes which is 2 days, 2 hours and 39 minutes at 7 hours per day.