Llangollen

River Dee in Llangollen

Llangollen is one of my favourite places to visit in Wales starting from my first trip on the winding A5 to visit Portmeirion in Gwynedd. Nestled in a valley along the river Dee, Llangollen, Denbighshire is a small town surrounded by some spectacular scenery.

Attractions

Castle Street (from the bridge)

The biggest attraction in the town has to be the River Dee itself which gushes over rocks in a small section of rapids under the town bridge. As might be expected there are a number of souvenir shops and numerous cafes including the one overlooking the bridge and river. There are numerous walking paths around the town including along the river and canal (a short distance up the hill to the north of the bridge).

Llangollen Railway

The Llangollen Railway is a “Heritage Railway Line” running between Llangollen, following the River Dee through the Dee Valley for 10 miles, to the town of Corwen. The schedule varies by day so it is worth checking in advance and be aware that they do not always run a steam locomotive service.

Llangollen Wharf

Llangollen Wharf Café

On the north side of the bridge, following a narrow path (watch for the signs) up the hill leads you to Llangollen Wharf which has a small café, shop and offers Horse Drawn Boat Trips and Motorised Aqueduct Trips. The “aqueduct trip” takes you to the nearby Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wrexham but the horse drawn boat trips are really what you want to give a try, offering a unique opportunity to experience this old and very peaceful form of transportation.

Horse Drawn Boat Tours

The horse drawn tours operate at various times during the day and come in two flavours: A 45 minute tour and a 2 hour tour that takes in the head of the Llangollen Canal with it's famous horseshoe falls.

Horseshoe Falls

The head of the canal is also home to The Chainbridge Hotel which has a bar and dining area with views over the spectacular river, Chain Bridge and the two viaducts (one for cars, one for trains) that pass over one another here. If you are taking the 2 hour horse drawn tour it stops here for 30 minutes to rest the horses so you can have a look around, otherwise, it is a 2 mile walk along the canal from Llangollen (there is also a small car park here).

Double Bridge from the Chainbridge Chain Bridge

Getting Around

There are a number of pay and display car parks in town with the largest being on Market Street. A smaller “long stay” car park can be found along the river (follow the signs near the entrance to the Market Street parking lot) and there is another car park (“Mill Street”) on the A539 north east of the bridge.

Further Information

For additional information please see: