My son and his wife rented a cottage just outside Llangollen in North Wales, close to Wrexham where her family live, for the half term week. It was the second time I’ve been up this year and it was lovely to be invited to go up with them again and spend a few days with the family in this beautiful part of the country.
I drove up in heavy rain on Monday morning, so it took longer than expected. It’s 200 miles from West London where I live, along roads and motorways very familiar to me for the first half of the journey, but I was definitely grateful for the satnav to guide me for the second half, especially once I was off motorways and into more minor, country roads. The rain eased in the last part of the journey and the landscape opened up into the most glorious views. Llangollen lies on the River Dee and forms the edge of the Berwyn Range and the Dee Valley section of the Clywdian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is an accolade well deserved for the area really is outstandingly beautiful, in a quite different way to other beautiful parts of England and Wales.
Llangollen is famous for its canal which forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site along 11 miles from Gledrid to Horseshoe Falls. Part of the canal travels over the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which is 307 metres (1,007 feet) long. UNESCO have described the site as ‘a masterpiece of creative genius’. I travelled over the aqueduct in a narrowboat many years ago, and it is a wonderful experience. You can do a trip in a narrowboat that will take you across (and back!). The Llangollen Wharf is in the centre of town and you can do a short horse-drawn trip (45 minutes), as we did in April, or a 2-hour trip if you want to go across the aqueduct, in a motorised canal boat (click here for more details).
Llangollen is also well-known for its festivals, a food and fringe festival, but most famously the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod, which takes place for one week in July.
As I neared the end of my journey on Monday, I followed the satnav’s instructions and turned off the main road to Llangollen and onto a minor road which led to farm buildings and a small campsite. Eventually, with a little help from my son on the phone as the satnav had given up, I carefully drove along a gravelly dirt track full of potholes. If I hadn’t been assured by Jonathan that this was the right direction I might not have had the confidence to keep going. After a short distance I turned a corner and onto a narrow bridge which crossed the canal, then a sharp left at the other side took me to the entrance to the farm and our ‘cottage’ – actually a Victorian barn which has been turned into a holiday home. It was a welcome sight and such a joy to see how it was surrounded by beautiful countryside and views.
Inside, the cottage was wonderfully cosy, with a wood-burning stove in the sitting room and everything done thoughtfully to a high standard. An ideal place for our autumn break.
At the top of the driveway to the cottage you can see the canal and a gate allows you to go through onto the towpath. Later, from the front door, I could see the top of narrowboats and the people steering them pass by.
Later in the afternoon my son and I took a short walk along the towpath with Buddy, their dog. It was a wonderful location and so peaceful too.
The next morning we woke to brighter weather and some sun, which was very welcome. It was decided we’d walk into Llangollen (2½ miles away) along the towpath and have some lunch there. So, three adults, three boys (11, 8 and 5) and Buddy the cocker spaniel, set off late morning.
It was lovely walking by the canal and enjoying great views across the valley when there were gaps in the trees. Nearing Llangollen we had to come away from the canal and down a path, then walked through a small forest which took us to the River Dee and into the town.
The approach to the town is lovely.
Crossing the bridge into the main part of the town, if you look to the right you see how wild the river is and it’s popular for white water rafting. To the right in the photo below you can see the Heritage Railway, which is another major attraction, and you can take steam train rides through the Dee Valley. To the left (though not easily visible unless you zoom in) there is the pub-restaurant where we’d booked to have lunch. We ate inside but there’s a terrace outside overlooking the river.
Our table at The Corn Mill gave us a good view of the river and railway. Happily it also allows dogs and Buddy sat down and behaved perfectly throughout.
The plan was to have a fairly light lunch as we’d eat a meal in the evening. Alex (5) had some pasta with tomato sauce from the kids’ menu. Some of us chose ‘starters’ to have as a main course and I chose a ‘Light Bite’ of Black Bomber Cheddar, balsamic onion and leek quiche with a crème fraîche new potato salad ((£12.95). I couldn’t resist the Black Bomber, which comes from Snowdonia, and I buy regularly, and the quiche had a wonderful flavour. The three boys chose desserts from the kids’ menu: Sticky Toffee Pudding for Freddie; Chocolate Brownie with vanilla ice cream for Ben; and Waffle with chocolate sauce, marshmallows and vanilla ice cream (in photo below) for Alex. It was an excellent lunch and wonderfully friendly and efficient service.
We didn’t have coffee there and when we came out, Jonathan took me to the best coffee shop he knew in the town at Riverbanc, attached to a hotel. The coffee was exceptionally good and I can honestly say (and I’m very particular about my coffee!) that it was one of the best flat whites I’ve ever had.
The sun was still shining as we started our walk back to the cottage. The walk along the towpath was particularly beautiful with the backdrop of the blue sky and light from the sun.
Occasionally we’d see a narrowboat chugging along.
And it didn’t seem too long before we moved off the towpath and walked down the drive into the farm – and ‘home’!
We woke to a mix of sun and light rain on Wednesday. The plan for the day was to pick up Lyndsey’s grandmother, Barbara, and go to Pant Yr Ochain for lunch.
Pant Yr Ochain, a 16th century pub in Gresford, Wrexham, is one of Jonathan and Lyndsey’s favourite places to eat. They took me there at Easter and I was delighted to be going again.
It’s quite big and inside is divided into lots of different areas to eat and drink. We were happy to be in the conservatory again which looks out across the gardens and river.
Today we were going to have a full meal and just a light supper later. Alex had his kids’ pasta again (the menu was similar to the day before as they’re in the same group of pubs); Ben chose an adult’s portion of Bacon Chop, fried egg, grilled pineapple, chunky chips (£18.95); Lyndsey chose Portuguese fish stew – king prawns, kale, mussels, crusty bread (£19.95 – which I’d been tempted to and she said was very good); Barbara, Freddie and I chose Beer battered fish and chips, mushy peas, tartare sauce (£18.95); and Jonathan had Braised shoulder of lamb, dauphinoise potatoes, greens, rosemary gravy (£26.95).
The portions were huge – and yes, the boys did finish theirs! The fish and chips was excellent: the fish a thick slice of white fish and beautifully moist, and the batter wonderfully crisp. Jonathan’s lamb was also excellent.
Everyone wanted puddings! I had a Triple chocolate brownie, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream. I chose to have the ‘Small Pudding and Hot Drink’ option and ordered a macchiato to go with it (£9.45 for both). The coffee came with a small slice of their special flapjack.
It was a fabulous meal with great service again. And it’s such a wonderful location for a meal out. In warmer weather there are seats outside but it’s also nice to be able to take a walk round the garden after you’ve eaten.
On Tuesday morning we’d seen a rainbow which looked as if its end was in a tree in the field in front of the cottage. I joked with the boys about the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but for me, the ‘pot of gold’ had really been a lovely and special stay in a beautiful place with the family.