I have visited Chirk and walked across the aqueduct on previous occasions, just stepping my toe across the border from Wales into England. It is fun to say you have stepped from Wales into England with just a few footsteps.

Today I had the opportunity to step out further along the canal pathway for an enjoyable afternoon walk with Mr C. Our walk was a ‘there and back again’ route, returning to the delightful Caffi Wylfa (where our car was parked) for tea and cake. Lemon Drizzle cake and Elderflower presse for me. The lovely lady that served us, offered to take a photo of the two of us. We accepted her kind offer and enjoyed our conversations along with the a rare duo photo.

I think my next adventure from that start point is to walk in the opposite direction and conquer my fear (vertigo and heights) of walking along the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Or maybe not, there is a perfect pathway to explore beneath the aqueduct

Chirk aqueduct is 70 feet high and was built between 1796 and 1801 by Thomas Telford and William Jessop.

The ten circular masonry arches of the structure, each spanning 40 feet, have piers carried between them as pilaster strips. There is no cast iron trough carrying the water of the canal, as at Pontcysyllte. Instead, the bed is of iron plates, bolted together, with the side walls built of stone quarried locally at Pont Faen.

The relationship of the sets of arches running parallel with one another conjures up images of “Roman grandeur” as the architect, Edward Hubbard says in “Buildings of Wales, Clwyd” and one perhaps thinks particularly of the aqueduct at Tarragona, Spain. The view as one walks towards them is certainly romantic, particularly in strong sunlight and has caught the imagination of artists and writers in the past. There are drawings of the aqueduct by G.Pickering and Henry Gastineau of the early 19th century.

The viaduct that stands along side the aqueduct stands 100 feet high.

The railway viaduct at Chirk which was erected in 1846-8 and rebuilt in 1858 was the work of the Scottish engineer Henry Robertson. The 100 feet high stone structure was built for the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway and has ten spans with round arches between pedimented abutments containing niches. Three further arches at either end of the viaduct replace former timber spans and are dated 1858-9. The viaduct stands some 30 feet above the adjoining aqueduct.

For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.

I then went home to freshen up and visit Mum for an evening meal of slow roasted lamb.  It was delicious.  I had to do a slight detour on the way because I had forgotten to take a picture of the decorated cross outside the parish church.  The lighting wasn’t quite right and in hindsight I should have used fill in flash.