Chirk Castle -First, let’s take you to the stern but wonderful Marcher Castle at Chirk – can you find the ha- ha? It isn’t funny just the name of a deep ditch. Sitting on the top you can enjoy the view of Chirk and the Welsh Borderlands before exploring more of this impressive National Trust castle which has beautiful gardens and deep dungeons.
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site – Pontcysyllte Aqueduct – Chirk Aqueduct and Viaduct – Horseshoe Falls.To appreciate Thomas Telford’s awesome aqueducts, you may need a head for heights. Take a stroll along the first on the Llangollen Canal at Chirk – look up to see a train passing on the viaduct or maybe be overtaken by a narrow boat headed towards the very dark 460 yard long canal tunnel. Then maybe sail across the second, the wondrous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This Unesco World Heritage site is also called Telford’s “Stream in the Sky”. The world heritage site stretches 11 miles along the valley of the River Dee. Don’t miss the beautiful source of the canal where water is drawn from the River Dee – the Horseshoe Falls. Llangollen – Visit the riverside town of Llangollen to enjoy more ways to move slowly – the horse drawn boats have been gliding along the canal since 1884 and Llangollen steam railway can take you chuffing through the Dee Valley. Check out their many special events– you could even meet Thomas the Tank Engine or Peppa Pig if you are lucky. There’s a musical extravaganza in July too – the International Eisteddfod brings visitors from the whole world to sing and dance.
Wrexham – Xplore Science Discovery Centre – Erddig Country House – What next? Why not explore a bit further north to Wrexham? The hands-on world of science or an upstairs downstairs experience in a country house? Xplore Science Discovery Centre at Wrexham is a fun science experience for children of all ages, especially good for a rainy day out. Then on to the National Trust property of Erddig Hall. This beautiful house has hardly changed since the last family left in the 1950s. The below stairs rooms provide a fascinating glimpse of life as a servant while upstairs celebrates the rather eccentric world of the Yorke family.
Ceiriog Valley – Oswestry Old Racecourse – Offa’s Dyke Path Ready to come back to the market town of Oswestry now? Take a more scenic route and wander down the delightful Ceiriog Valley to Llanarmon DC and then take a left to bring you back to Oswestry. The views are stunning, and you will come back into Oswestry town via the Old Racecourse. Jack Mytton, the local eccentric, may have lost a whole lot of his inheritance here but now it’s a gentle stroll taking in some of Offa’s Dyke Path and peaceful views over Oswestry and Shropshire.