I fell in love with Llangollen, this was a spur of the moment change of plan day and I am so glad we came across a leaflet for the boat trips. I have put together everything we did in Llangollen and a few other ideas into this one post.
About Llangollen Wharf
One of the longest running attractions in the area is the horse drawn boat trips, who have been welcoming visitors for over 100 years.
From the Wharf you can either go on a horse drawn boat trip or a motorised aqueduct boat trip that takes you across the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Both of these boat trips take in the sights and sounds of this World Heritage Site. You can choose to go on a 45 minute, 2 hour, private hire or a motorised aqueduct cruise.
Our Visit to the Horse Drawn Canal
We pre-booked our trip, which was a good idea because it was pretty busy when we got to the canal. We opted for the 45 minute return trip along the river, which I think was more than enough time to enjoy the experience and spot some of the local wildlife. We were lucky enough to get seated at what was first the front so we thoroughly enjoyed the ride. We loved watching Dakota the horse pull the canal by rope, very impressive.
Negatives
There were a few negatives. The first one was nothing to do with the boat company.
A large family (must have been around 5 adults and a gazillion kids) were basically behaving like a bunch of wild animals, screaming non stop climbing all over the place and making a mess with food. I honestly thought one of the kids was going to go over whilst the parents were too busy with phones. Totally irresponsible.
The other issue was I don't think dogs should be allowed on any of the trips if they are busy. We ended up with a greyhound stamping all over us, lying on our feet etc as a dog lover myself and dog owner I just think it was a bit of a silly decision to allow a dog onboard when it was really busy in the first place with not much room for anything let alone a large dog.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed on the horse drawn and self drive trips only.
Parking is a 5 minute walk away
No toilets on the horse drawn trips, however toilets are on the platform
Tea Room
Gift Shop
Inside/Outside seating (You just sit where you want)
You can take pushchairs on (again silly idea, a pushchair park on the platform would be a better idea) and you can also take wheelchairs on, however you still need to climb to get onboard.
A family ticket + one extra cost us £32.50 for a 45 minute ride.
Address
Llangollen Wharf
Wharf hill
LL20 8TA
Other things to do in the area include:
Llangollen Museum - Local history museum with a small gift shop. Small, but worth a visit. We spent around 30 minutes having a look at some of the local displays which were really interesting. Staff were lovely too and it is free to visit.
Castell Dinas Bran - Not for the faint hearted! You can walk up to the top of the hill which is over 1,000ft high. A medieval castle located within the earthworks of an earlier Iron Age hillfort.
I won't sugar coat it, if you are not fit you will struggle. It is extremely steep. I personally didn't climb it as I have a knee injury however, Craig and the boys did and it took them around 20 minutes to climb to the top. Rewarded with Epic views!
Llangollen Railway - We didn't travel on the train as they were not running unfortunately, but it could be a great option to fill your day and a great spot for train lovers.
Plas Newydd
10 acres of grounds to enjoy, We stopped and had a walk through the woodlands which were very pretty and absolutely heaving with wild garlic! We didn't go in the house, it was way too busy.
Other things to do
Abbey (currently undergoing renovations)
Motor Museum
Dragons Den Play Area
Horseshoe Pass