Day 10 - being tourists

The past couple of days has been spent doing the tourist thing, which has been great but is always a concern when you come across large groups of muggles and/or an enclosed area. 

Yesterday we visited another mere, Colemere, which has a lovely circular walk through mixed woodland and is another leftover from the last ice age. The only water supply it receives is from rainwater (directly or through run off) and yet has lasted 10,000 years and supports a sailing club (although not for the past 10k years obvs). 

We tried to locate a national nature reserve but had to abandon that after exploring half of rural Shropshire, and so resorted instead to a visit to the Tesco in Ellesmere. Not quite the same but we were brave and the store was pretty quiet and well spaced out. We decided not to wear our face masks, which seems a little cowardly on reflection - sometimes it’s important to stick to what you believe is right. We also bought meat, which counts as a significant event these days. 

We finished the day with a bbq using the Cadac, which is a marvel and I’m a big fan, and by running out of gas(to the caravan). To be fair, the bottle has lasted since we bought the caravan in February 2017 and so can’t complain. Bloody inconvenient though. It did spark a debate online about what would be the best option (including investing in refillable bottles) and we opted for exchanging our 13kg propane cylinder for 6kg bottle for weight reasons this morning. We might go for the refillable in the future especially as we expect to indulge in more of this caravanning lark. 

Today we headed off (via the gas bottle shop) to Llangollen. First climbing up a via a single track lane to the foot of Dinas Bran castle and then walking up its steep slopes to visit the 13th century castle which would have been very impressive in its day but only lasted 20 years before it was burned down. The panoramic view from the top over Llangollen, the Dee valley and beyond was life affirming. We had lunch by the roadside and were joined by a large numbers of sheep and their lambs. 

Then to Horseshoe Falls, which is weir that was created to divert water from the River Dee to feed the Llangollen Canal. In fact, it’s where the canal starts and was full of people enjoying the great outdoors (including some brave souls who were taking a dip in the peaty water that flows from the hills and mountains to the west). 

We stopped off in Llangollen, which was bustling to say the least, with long queues outside all of the ice cream outlets but we were able to walk-in to the town via the canal and then spent a bit of time in the park by the side of the impressive River Dee. 

And finally, we managed to visit the impressive (well it is a World Heritage Site) and not a little knee knockingly scary Pontcysylte Aquaduct, which transports the Llangollen Canal over the River Dee. Handrail (thankfully) on one side and the canal on the other, and very high. Also, social distancing is impossible on such a narrow towpath. Still we made it across. And back again. Job done and before the car park reopens officially on Monday, after which it will be mayhem.