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We're just approaching one of 
the wonders of the waterways. 

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More than 300 metres long and 39
metres high, the Pontcasilta 

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Aqueduct is also a World 
Heritage Site and that's where 

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we'll be exploring in this 
edition of the Water Rd. 

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So I'm here with Linda who's the
manager at the visitor centre 

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here. 
So just give us the basic facts 

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and figures about the aqueduct 
then. 

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Yeah, so the Ponca salt, the 
aqueducts, so it said Ponca 

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saltate, so that'll be a good 
one for you. 

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It's 1007 feet long, 126 feet 
high. 

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Took 10 years to construct and 
they started building it in 

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1795, completed in 1805. 
I. 

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Mean it was quite a feat to to 
build the aqueduct because it's 

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it's a long way, as you say, but
it's it's the longest one. 

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I suppose there was no 
alternative really, was there? 

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When they first looked into it, 
they were going to do a series 

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of locks all the way down the 
valley and back up again. 

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And they kind of realised, you 
know, this will probably take 

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three weeks just to navigate 
going up one, down one and back 

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up the other side. 
So that's why it took them a 

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little bit longer to actually 
figure out what's the best route

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to do it. 
And that's why it's not maybe 

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closer to Llangoflan or closer 
maybe to Cheshire, because it 

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was, you know, it was across 
that valley that they needed to 

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go across. 
And the construction is is quite

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special, isn't it, because of 
the way it's built with the big 

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columns and then the through on 
the top? 

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Yeah. 
So originally it was going to be

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built so it actually had the 
stone all the way, all the way 

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up, the same as the similar 
aqueduct not far away from us at

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Chirk. 
And then about halfway along for

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building it, they stopped for a 
little bit and went, actually, 

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it's going to be too heavy. 
So they came up with the idea of

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just having the iron through on 
the top of it, standing on top 

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of the pillars. 
And when you walk across, the 

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water actually goes underneath 
the towpath, doesn't it? 

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It does, yeah. 
So that's when the water 

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disperses. 
So if you had a boat just going 

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over and it was solid, the water
would just fly over the side to 

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the aqueduct. 
On the far side, there's no 

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railing or anything, is there? 
So it's it's a bit bit scary. 

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Yeah, there's no railing on one 
side. 

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There was never meant to be a 
railing on the one side. 

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A lot of people ask about that 
because there are looks like as 

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if there was meant to be 
railings and it's just a case of

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they just flipped the iron 
castings over and the other 

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side. 
And this is a World Heritage 

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site, So what does that mean for
the aqueducts? 

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Yeah. 
So it's been a real Taj site 

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since 2009. 
So it means it's as as important

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as the Taj Mahal, Tower of 
London, that type of thing, 

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where obviously it's not as old 
as some of those, but then it's 

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all to do with industrial 
heritage because. 

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It does hold quite a few 
records, doesn't it? 

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Yeah. 
So it's the the highest 

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navigable canal. 
So it's the navigable is the 

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important bit. 
And there's the highest 

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navigable aqueduct and it's also
the longest. 

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It's a huge tourist attraction 
for CRT and I think there's 

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plans for more, isn't there? 
Yeah, so it's a, it's a really 

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big visitor attraction. 
We get over half a million 

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visitors a year to the site. 
There are plans to do some works

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on sites with education space, a
new footbridge, nice new walkway

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to get to the team, our Country 
Park. 

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So there's a few things in the 
plans. 

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As a boater though, it's a bit 
of a nightmare because you can 

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only go One Direction at a time 
and people just keep coming, 

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don't they? 
It is a very busy part of the 

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network. 
It's busy for holiday boaters as

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well as you know, it's also busy
with canoeists, cyclists, 

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walkers. 
It's very popular. 

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It's a flat area, there's no 
locks. 

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So of course, I mean, it's 
obviously it's beautiful with 

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the location. 
We try to manage it with 

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volunteers and things like that 
on site. 

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It doesn't always quite happen 
in the summertime. 

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It gets to a little bit too 
compact. 

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Are the kayakers and things like
that, that's a relatively new 

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thing, isn't it? 
No, we've had kayakers and 

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canoeing for years. 
It's just maybe increased since 

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COVID. 
I would say people have got out 

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and about, more have. 
You done it yourself. 

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I have kayaked over it. 
I've walked over it, kayaked it.

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I've not cycled it because 
you're not supposed to cycle 

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over it and you're not paddle 
boarding. 

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So I've done, you know, all the 
ways you're just allowed to go 

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over it. 
I have, yeah. 

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And it is special. 
It is unique. 

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I still think actually the best 
way is just to walk over. 

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For me, it's that sense of like,
oh, wow, we're on top of the 

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world and they call it, you 
know, the waterway across the 

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world and like that. 
So yeah, into the sky, yeah. 

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Because. 
So you did the pronunciation of 

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the of the Pontcasilta? 
Yeah. 

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What does it actually mean? 
Well, it means that the bridge 

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that connects, the bridge that 
joins, so it's joining from one 

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end to the end, the valley of 
Pontcasilta. 

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And with Tom and you're from TNR
Outdoors and you organise the 

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kayaking expeditions across the 
aqueducts, what's the appeal? 

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It's big, it's high, I guess 
that's the appeal. 

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I think it's the highest 
navigatable aqueduct in the 

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world and that's got it's draw. 
It's in North Wales which is 

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lovely as well, so that's got to
be it. 

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And it must be a pretty unique 
perspective. 

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Yeah, so looking over, you can 
look over the view. 

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So you can, as we paddle over, 
you've got a good view down the 

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Dee Valley. 
And then obviously paddling over

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the River Dee, we've got a 
cracking view down of the Dee. 

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If you're feeling brave, you can
have a little peek and you've 

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got like the true view of the 
height of it as well. 

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So it's pretty spectacular. 
And the other thing, I suppose 

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is that it's a bit of a free for
all, isn't it? 

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When you start off, if there's 
something coming the other way, 

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you have to wait and then you 
just go for it. 

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Pretty much, so this time of 
year is not too bad. 

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But in a height of summer, yeah,
it is quite busy. 

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But we've been, I mean, I've 
been working on this for around 

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20 years and there's, yeah, 
there's in the last couple of 

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years it's definitely peaked to,
to, to quite a busy, busy part 

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of the canal. 
It's it's patience. 

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If you're in a rush, perhaps the
canal is not the right place for

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you. 
If everyone is takes their time 

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and just wants to enjoy it, then
there's room for everyone. 

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But if you're if you're in a 
rush, you're probably going to 

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get a bit annoyed sometimes. 
Maybe. 

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And the trip boats are going 
backwards and forwards the whole

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time as well, aren't they? 
Yeah, so we've got Anglo Welsh 

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and then Llangastam Wharf do a 
couple of trips a day. 

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So we obviously got on quite 
well with those guys because we 

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work alongside them and paddle, 
paddle next to them all the 

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time. 
So I live in the village here as

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well. 
So this is this is my home. 

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So I get to get to see and get 
to know everyone as well so. 

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And you must be one of the 
people who's been across the 

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aqueduct more than most. 
I couldn't even count the amount

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of times that I've been over 
there. 

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But no matter how many times I 
go over there, it's still a wow 

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factor. 
And sort of driving back into 

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the village every day, you still
like when you come through and 

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this moon's behind or the 
sunrise, it's still, it's still 

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incredible. 
It's different, different every 

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day, I suppose. 
Different every day. 

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And which is the best way to go 
across, would you say? 

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Walking, Boating. 
Kayaking. 

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I definitely say from a boat 
you've got the better, the 

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better vantage, say from a canoe
or a kayak or a narrow boat, 

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because you've got the, the view
of the D Valley, you've got the 

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view of the, the river. 
Whereas when you walk, you've 

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got the sewage plant, which 
isn't quite as cool. 

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But most of the tourists, they 
don't even see that when they 

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come over in the canoes and the 
narrow boats. 

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So it's it's better for that I 
guess. 

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You've just done the kayak tour 
across the aqueduct. 

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What did you make of? 
It, yeah, it was really nice, 

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yeah. 
Some nice views, yeah. 

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Yeah, I really loved it. 
We've never done anything like 

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this in the UK so. 
So are you new to kayaking 

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completely then? 
So, well, we we was canoeing 

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this one, but we've kayaked 
before. 

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This was first time canoeing, 
tough steering the boat, Yeah. 

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Definitely. 
Yeah, you've got a nice Longview

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of of, you know, the stream and 
stuff below. 

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So yeah, that was really nice. 
Did you come into contact with 

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any boats? 
Yeah. 

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Well, contacted in sea and then 
we didn't crash into any, which 

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was good. 
Yeah, well. 

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When you're on the aqueduct, the
views are amazing. 

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On my right hand side I've got 
the towpath with a railing and 

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then there's views down the 
valley with the Kevin Moore 

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Railway viaduct off in the 
distance. 

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On the other side there's just 4
inches or so of the iron plates 

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that make up the through that 
the aqueduct is made of. 

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And beyond that you've got views
of the Welsh Hills. 

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And about 2/3 of the way across 
you cross over the River Dee. 

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And because there was a lot of 
rain last night and yesterday, 

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the water is really rushing by 
down below and it's gone from 

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the normal colour to a sort of 
muddy brown colour because of 

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all the runoff from the Welsh 
hills you've all just walked 

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over. 
What did you think of it? 

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What's the best bit? 
We were looking over the side, 

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weren't we? 
In the river was going really. 

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What's it doing fast? 
And we talked to the kayakers 

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going over, didn't we? 
And they said it was really 

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cold. 
The water was so not to jump in,

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didn't they? 
Yeah. 

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So that was good, wasn't it? 
Yeah. 

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What did you think, Reese? 
Did you enjoy it? 

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It was quite fun, but also a bit
nerve wracking. 

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And would you walk over it 
again? 

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Well, you've got to, haven't 
you, to get that, so you're not 

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that frightened. 
No second time is better than 

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the first. 
Because. 

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You know what it's like then? 
Right. 

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So Emma, star of Narrow Escapes,
you've been on the podcast 

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before talking about your book. 
That episode's still available 

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now. 
We've both been here a couple of

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days and I've noticed that 
you've been across the 

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aqueducts, what, half a dozen? 
Times never want to milk it. 

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I'll be dramatic whatsoever and 
I've met I'd like to finish the 

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season by coming on this 
beautiful canal. 

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I find it beguiling, but so do 
all my friends as well. 

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So I've ended up being a kind of
personal trip boat for for my 

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friends and everything. 
But we were laughing today 

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because I haven't got any crew 
on board but I just fancy doing 

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the recycling so so I went 
across just to just to get rid 

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of my cider bottles. 
Basically any old excuse for me.

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I mean, it is a spectacular 
monument though, isn't it? 

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It is absolutely, it's 
overwhelming actually. 

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And also, if you take the time 
to go and walk underneath it, 

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you get the sense of the, the 
tremendous structure and, and, 

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and the manpower it's taken to 
build it. 

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And it's very overwhelming, to 
be honest with you. 

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And the fact that you can hear 
the, the, the boats go over the 

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top and you can hear them 
banging into the side of the 

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tank and you think, you know, it
looks, it looks even more scary 

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from underneath than it does 
from above. 

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Yes. 
It does, actually, because it's 

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tall, isn't. 
It, yes, really. 

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Yeah, yeah, yeah. 
Well, inspired by what Emma 

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said, I've come to the traverse 
side of the aqueduct where 

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there's a path and some steps 
down to the River Dee, and on 

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the way you can stand right next
to the huge stone pillars that 

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hold up the Pontiac Aqueduct. 
It really is quite awe inspiring

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to see how tall they are and how
that iron through just spans the

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gaps in between them. 
And that's all from the World 

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Heritage Site that includes the 
Ponticus to Aqueduct. 

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The Water Rd is produced and 
presented by me, Adam Porter. 

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00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:32,000
Don't forget that all previous 
episodes of the podcast are 

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00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:36,240
always available to listen to. 
Next time we'll be at the end of

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00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:38,920
the Llangorrel Canal in 
Llangorrelan itself. 

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If you're enjoying the series, 
please leave us a nice review 

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because it really does help 
other people. 

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Find us and click follow or 
subscribe to be alerted when new

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episodes are published. 
Thank you for listening to The 

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00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:53,360
Water Rd.