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Initial explorations
Apr. 12th, 2026 05:18 pmYesterday's fiest task was to charge the car, and there was a charge point i the car park in Chirk. From here it was an easy walk, back the way we had come, to the Chirk Aqueduct.
This is less spectacular than the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which we hope to visit later in the week, but forms part of the same UNESCO World Heritage site. I walked across it into England, where I was greeted by a banner advertising the Samaritans, and back into Wales, where a bilingual information board proclaims the canal a pioneering engineering achievement: and both of these things are useful information. I saw a train go past on the railway bridge above, and I watched a canal boat make its way into the tunnel, and by this time the car was ready, and we reclaimed it and went to the Co-op for a few necessities (the day's newspaper).
We followed the canal along until we found a pub that backed onto it, where we stopped for lunch (the Poachers, I recommend the chips) and another view of the canal. The intermittent showers were becoming less intermittent, so we headed for the shelter of Chirk Castle: from the outside it's a very impressive medieval fortress, but has escaped falling into ruins. Usually I would be disappointed at this, but given the weather I was prepared to take advantage of its roof, and explore the stately home incrusted in Roger Mortimer's Marcher stronghold. Of the treasures within, I liked this pair of beasts the best:
According to the information sheet, they are a pair of Charles II newel posts, carved in elm (probably by Nicholas Needham, not a name I recognise) and they are wyverns. I don't have a clear mental image of a wyvern, but that pointy, cartoon-mouse face is definitely not it. We lingered at the castle over tea and lemon drizzle cake, and were rewarded with a rainbow as we left.
This is less spectacular than the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which we hope to visit later in the week, but forms part of the same UNESCO World Heritage site. I walked across it into England, where I was greeted by a banner advertising the Samaritans, and back into Wales, where a bilingual information board proclaims the canal a pioneering engineering achievement: and both of these things are useful information. I saw a train go past on the railway bridge above, and I watched a canal boat make its way into the tunnel, and by this time the car was ready, and we reclaimed it and went to the Co-op for a few necessities (the day's newspaper).
We followed the canal along until we found a pub that backed onto it, where we stopped for lunch (the Poachers, I recommend the chips) and another view of the canal. The intermittent showers were becoming less intermittent, so we headed for the shelter of Chirk Castle: from the outside it's a very impressive medieval fortress, but has escaped falling into ruins. Usually I would be disappointed at this, but given the weather I was prepared to take advantage of its roof, and explore the stately home incrusted in Roger Mortimer's Marcher stronghold. Of the treasures within, I liked this pair of beasts the best:
According to the information sheet, they are a pair of Charles II newel posts, carved in elm (probably by Nicholas Needham, not a name I recognise) and they are wyverns. I don't have a clear mental image of a wyvern, but that pointy, cartoon-mouse face is definitely not it. We lingered at the castle over tea and lemon drizzle cake, and were rewarded with a rainbow as we left.
