Aqueduct Canoeing and Solar Eclipse in Llangollen - 13th August 2026
Heya, from our last spot in Wales: Llangollen.
We jumped in the Mokka, and headed out of smoky, hot Snowdonia and drove an hour or two to a wee town called Llangollen.
We dropped some stuff off at the Airbnb - a cute upstairs room in a woman’s house - before we drove to the meet-up spot for the day’s activity: Canoeing on the Pontsycylite Aqueduct.
No activity would be complete without a meeting point stuff-up, and this was no different. Basically, we left the meeting point, drove to a different spot, and almost ran in the heat to meet up with the group that was a five-minute walk from where we originally were. Yep - typical.
Anyhoo, we found out that we were meant to be in kayaks, but we asked for a double canoe. Yep, they had a spare one, and yep, we could get it. Alright.
The next two hours saw us paddle through canals and over the highest, paddlable aqueduct in the world. I’m really conquering this fear-of-heights thing this year. It was bloody hot when we weren’t in the shade, but it was fun. Check out Jen-Jen’s vid below.
After we made our way back to the car, grabbed some lunch and refuelled the Mokka, it was time to check in and have a wee siesta - something else that I have wholeheartedly embraced this year.
The cocktail hour rolled around, and Jen elected to continue her abstinence while I went searching for a cold pint and a yarn before watching the eclipse.
I found good beer and good people to yarn to over the next few hours as we checked out the eclipse through the specially made glasses that they all had. The fact that it was so smoky from the climate-change-induced bushfires (in Wales for God's sake) made the eclipse look pretty spooky too.
I pulled up stumps before dark - about 9.30 pm - came home, had a nightcap and slept/snored for 8 hours - much to the chagrin of our wall-thumping neighbours in the next room. Sorry dude…
Wales exceeded our expectations at every turn. The roads were great - 20 zones excluded - the people super-friendly, and the natural beauty outstanding. Below is our final album of any pics that we may not have included before. We’ll be back - probably in November, as it would be stunning to see this beautiful country in late Autumn.
Next stop - a bucket list item of mine - Liverpool and all things Beatles.
Ciao.
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