0:00:10 > 0:00:12Navigating Highland glens,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15rolling countryside, river valleys,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17and city sprawl.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Britain's canals cut a sedate path
0:00:19 > 0:00:22through some of the country's finest scenery.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Canals were the transport arteries
0:00:25 > 0:00:28at the heart of a booming industrial age.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31A network of locks, tunnels and aqueducts
0:00:31 > 0:00:36helped carry goods to every corner of the land and beyond,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41transforming 19th century Britain into an economic superpower.
0:00:43 > 0:00:49Today, over 2,000 miles of restored canals offer a gateway into a different world.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54For me and many others, the towpaths alongside them
0:00:54 > 0:00:58offer the perfect way to explore this heritage on foot.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Hello, welcome to Wales.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Just look at that lovely, green valley.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17It might be tucked away,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19but hidden down there
0:01:19 > 0:01:23is one of the greatest stories of canal engineering in the world.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29This is the Vale of Llangollen, on the edge of Snowdonia.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32It was this valley which presented a considerable challenge
0:01:32 > 0:01:35for the canal engineers of the late 18th century
0:01:35 > 0:01:39who wanted to develop a major route to cross it.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43The man who came up with the solution for that crossing was Thomas Telford.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47His ambitious response was to create an aqueduct,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50the likes of which had never been seen before.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55It was a bold plan that catapulted him centre stage as a civil engineer.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00There is Telford's great masterpiece.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05An icon of engineering that allows water to fly.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08He called it his "stream through the skies".
0:02:08 > 0:02:12And today, I'm going to find out why it's become a World Heritage Site.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18This phenomenal creation spanning over 1,000 feet
0:02:18 > 0:02:19is also 126 feet high.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26And it's the final destination of my walk today.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30By the time I've finished, I'll be standing on top of this amazing aqueduct,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34looking down on the River Dee, the water source for the Llangollen Canal
0:02:34 > 0:02:36which also winds through this valley.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43I'll be learning about the incredible engineering that was need to make all of this possible.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47And when the Llangollen Canal was completed, it spawned a whole new world.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02By the late 18th century, canals changed the map of Britain forever.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06A new and growing network of transport superhighways dominated the landscape.
0:03:06 > 0:03:13Canals had arrived, connecting towns and cities with Britain's industrial heartlands and export hubs.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16In this flourishing climate,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Thomas Telford was appointed by the Ellesmere Canal Company
0:03:20 > 0:03:22to link a remote and rural Wales
0:03:22 > 0:03:23with England and beyond.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Horseshoe Falls is where I'm starting,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and six miles later, I'll end dramatically
0:03:31 > 0:03:33on Telford's famous aqueduct.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Intriguingly, my walk actually starts here, on the banks of the River Dee,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44from where the aqueduct draws
0:03:44 > 0:03:48the one and a half million gallons of water it needs to fill it.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Horseshoe Falls is a local beauty spot, which Telford created,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56to channel the river water into his canal.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01I'm going to meet a walking guide, born and bred in this valley, Bryn Hughes,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03who can tell me more about the origin of the canal.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Hi there, Bryn, hello.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Croeso i Gymru, Julia!
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Top of the morning to you as well.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Bryn's going to show me where the canal actually starts.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21Telford's great master stroke was to use this plentiful water source as it poured off the mountains.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29By creating this weir, part of the river could be channelled into this collecting reservoir.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Today, this little pump house marks the spot where the canal begins.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40So is that it?
0:04:42 > 0:04:43It's tiny!
0:04:44 > 0:04:51Well, it is, but it does draw in six million gallons of water daily, into the canal system.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54So this section is just a narrow feeder into the system.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59There was no need to build a wide section here to connect with the River Dee.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Now, the prize at the end of this canal is the aqueduct,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05but please help me with the pronunciation.
0:05:05 > 0:05:06The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- Say that again.- Pontcysyllte.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Pont-cyll-yll-te?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11"Pont" is "bridge", of course,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14and "cysyllte" is the Welsh word "to join".
0:05:14 > 0:05:16So it's cy-syll-te.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Cysyllte.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- Pontcysyllte.- Pontcysyllte.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- So you just say it quickly. Pontcysyllte.- All one word.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26- Pontcysyllte.- Pontcysyllte. Right, I'll practise that. Pontcythyllte.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It's like you haven't got your teeth in. Pontcysyllte.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33I'd better go and see it while I'm learning how to say it.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- To help you on your way, here's a little book about the canal. - Thank you.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Look out for the slate works at Pentrefelin, which is now a motor museum,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43half a mile downstream.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Fantastic, thank you very much. Pontcysyllte.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Pontcysyllte.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51How do you say "rain" in Welsh?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Bwrw glaw.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54Bye.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01My six-mile walk today takes me through this lush valley,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04which, 200 years ago, was a remote, rural backwater.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10Back then, there was an even bigger, more ambitious canal network being planned,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13which had 1,200 speculators stampeding to invest.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20The idea was to connect the three rivers of the Mersey, Dee and Severn by canal.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25This network would crucially reach into the industrial regions surrounding Wrexham,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29where reservoirs would supply the water to keep the canals topped up.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Work was already well underway on Telford's aqueduct
0:06:33 > 0:06:37and the section leading towards England, when disaster struck.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39In 1801, the money ran out,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43and plans to continue north across the aqueduct towards Wrexham
0:06:43 > 0:06:45had to be abandoned.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Now, with no reservoirs for water supply,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Telford's crowning glory could be left quite literally high and dry.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03My walk today was Telford's answer to the problem.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05A six-mile water line.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09But it's a route that was never actually meant to exist.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16And in building this canal, Telford opted for the most efficient route that he could.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23So that means a walk which hugs the higher contours and stays at a nice, steady level throughout.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Time indeed, to soak up the very tranquil surroundings
0:07:28 > 0:07:30of this lovely, green corridor.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41There's something so peaceful about walking alongside water.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46Watching the leaves and the foliage drift along the surface.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49And these fronds waving at you from the canal bed.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53They're mesmerising.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08For the first half mile or so,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12you can actually see the bottom of the canal and its jagged bedrock.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16It's no surprise that it took them four years to cut this entire line.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Then the walk opens out into the hamlet of Pentrefelin.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26The canal engineers knew that nestling in the hills here
0:08:26 > 0:08:27were slate quarries,
0:08:27 > 0:08:32hungry to take advantage of the new form of transport, which the canal offered.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34It might have been built to supply water,
0:08:34 > 0:08:39but once it arrived, new opportunities for trade were quickly taken up.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42I'm well above the river now.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46From here, you can see the river flowing down the valley,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48but the canal stays dead level.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55And there's the motor museum that Bryn was telling me about,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57which is the old slate works.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Wales is said to have roofed the world,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and this now-quiet spot was part of that golden industrial age.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11The little building and the tree on the left are still here today.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16The arrival of the canal crucially opened up a route to England,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21where there was a growing demand for this much sought-after building material.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24At its height in 1881,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28loaders shifted hundreds of tonnes of slate onto waiting barges.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Horses rattled via a tram road from the quarry above,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and inside the building now occupied with vintage cars,
0:09:35 > 0:09:40slate was shaped and planed, then heaved onto the waiting canal boats.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44By the late 19th century,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46commercial traffic had also reached a peak,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48and fly-boats were in operation.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52These were the express couriers of their day,
0:09:52 > 0:09:53travelling round the clock.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Who would know that there was so much activity here once upon a time?
0:10:01 > 0:10:03As a walker, you could easily walk on through
0:10:03 > 0:10:06without giving it a second glance.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Originally, before the invention of steam engines,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14it was horses that pulled the boats.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21Today, the only traffic on this one-mile stretch before the town of Llangollen,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24are sightseeing boats that are still horse-drawn.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25Hello.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Nice little afternoon on the canal.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Hiya.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Hiya. Be with you in a minute.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38I'm meeting Peter Furness, the current owner of one of Llangollen's oldest attractions.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- Stanley, is it Stanley?- Stanley.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41Hello, Stanley.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Come on, then, Stanley.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Oopsadaisy.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And how long's this been going on?
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Pulling tourists up and down the canal?
0:10:50 > 0:10:52- Over 125 years now.- Really?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54So who started it? Whose idea was it?
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Er, a character by the name of Captain Jones
0:10:57 > 0:11:00started the whole thing off, 1884.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03And where did he get the idea? Do you know?
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I don't know, but he was ahead of his time in the sense that
0:11:06 > 0:11:09he spotted some potential in the tourist market.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Tourism wasn't unknown in those days
0:11:11 > 0:11:13but it was only in its infancy.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16He was a ship's captain with the White Star line.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20The story goes that one day he fell off the bridge of his ship,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23allegedly whilst drunk.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29The White Star line, perhaps thinking it wasn't good for their image to have a drunken captain...
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Who'd have thought? Who'd have come up with that idea? A drunken captain.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35So they pensioned him off.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39And with his pension, he purchased two redundant ship's lifeboats
0:11:39 > 0:11:40from the docks at Liverpool,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42brought them to Llangollen,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and started the horse-drawn boats of Llangollen.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47They've been going ever since.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- That's quite a story, isn't it? - It is.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54And of course, tourism is one of the main attractions in this valley now, isn't it?
0:11:54 > 0:11:59It certainly is. It's a very major player in the local economy.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Thomas Telford, of course, played his part in that,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04building the canal,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06big improvements to the A5 main road,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10and the major one now is the International Eisteddfod,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12held every year in Llangollen.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13- Eisteth-fod.- Eisteddfod.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15That's the music festival?
0:12:15 > 0:12:17That's the music festival, yeah.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21I know you'll be walking a bit further along the canal soon,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24and you'll see the International Eisteddfod Pavilion
0:12:24 > 0:12:25beside the canal.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27A very iconic building.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31- Right. I might have a little sing-song.- Indeed.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Right, well, I shall try and get a bit more horsepower on.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- Lovely to meet you.- OK. - Thanks a lot.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48SINGING
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I don't have long to get my voice in tune
0:12:50 > 0:12:54before I reach this rather unusual canalside spectacle.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55Ooh.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02It's like a little... Millennium Dome.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04A mini Millennium Dome.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Eisteddfod literally means "to be sitting together",
0:13:10 > 0:13:14and its origins lie in the 12th century Welsh tradition
0:13:14 > 0:13:17of gathering to celebrate language, poetry and literature.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22The first International Eisteddfod was held in 1947
0:13:22 > 0:13:26to promote a message of post-war peace.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Today, this is the Pavilion where over 5,000 artists
0:13:29 > 0:13:31from over 50 different countries
0:13:31 > 0:13:35perform and compete to audiences of more than 50,000.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41Locals say the International Eisteddfod is where Wales welcomes the world.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45It's even been the unexpected launch pad for some highbrow careers.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49In 1955, Pavarotti came to compete with his father,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51and their choir from Modena.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54They won the male voice choir competition,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58which he said was the most important experience of his life,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and inspired him to turn professional.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06He returned 40 years later to give a triumphant, free and tearful concert.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12Think about all the thousands of people who've sung their little lungs out in there.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15And it all takes place right next to the canal.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20This canal has a history of drawing people to it,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24like the writer George Borrow who came here in 1854
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and discovered a hidden culture and lifestyle.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Llangollen was at the heart of it.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33In his book Wild Wales, he wrote,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36"I walked along the bank of the canal."
0:14:36 > 0:14:39"Presently I came to a barge."
0:14:39 > 0:14:40"The boatman was in."
0:14:43 > 0:14:45"I entered into conversation with him,
0:14:45 > 0:14:50and he told me the canal and its branches extended over a great part of Britain."
0:14:50 > 0:14:51"The boats carried slates,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and he was generally three weeks on a journey."
0:14:56 > 0:15:00"The boatmen and their families lived in little cabins aft."
0:15:00 > 0:15:02"They passed by many towns,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06but he liked no place as much as Llangollen."
0:15:09 > 0:15:12After two miles, I arrive on the outskirts of Llangollen.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15This is the end of the line for these modern narrowboats,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19which have travelled in the opposite direction to me from the aqueduct.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21They won't be going any further.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25It's too shallow for these engine-powered boats to go where I've just walked,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29and there's nowhere beyond this mooring basin to turn around.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Looks like a pretty good spot to hole up for the night.
0:15:39 > 0:15:40- Hello.- Hiya, hello.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44It might be a nice place to stop,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48but there are plenty of walkers who, like me, are treading the towpath.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51Good luck. Keep walking.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53And you.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Arriving in Llangollen is a reminder
0:15:59 > 0:16:04of how much this canal helped advance industrialisation in this part of rural Wales.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Although its initial purpose was simply to draw water from the river,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14trade and then tourism became natural by-products.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17The canal also enabled materials to be brought in
0:16:17 > 0:16:22to build the very thing which spelled its demise, the railways.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25The arrival of the train in 1816
0:16:25 > 0:16:27sounded the death knell on the canal,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and the last trade boat ploughed its waters
0:16:30 > 0:16:32on the eve of the First World War.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36So it's tourism which is now the main trade of this valley,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40boosted in 2009 by its World Heritage title,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44awarded both to the canal and its formidable aqueduct.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48This new status has put Llangollen on the world tourist map,
0:16:48 > 0:16:49and would you believe it,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart have even come here
0:16:53 > 0:16:56to escape Hollywood on a narrowboat holiday.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Hiya. Looks like fun.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01You've got the easy job.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05What's perhaps surprising is that this World Heritage title
0:17:05 > 0:17:08extends along the whole of my canal walk,
0:17:08 > 0:17:09as well as the aqueduct.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13This status recognises the astonishing problems
0:17:13 > 0:17:16which the engineers overcame in carving this route.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18It wasn't blasted with dynamite.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23Instead, the full six miles were cut by hand through solid rock,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27with only the basic tools of a pick, shovel and a barrow.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28And it's this determination
0:17:28 > 0:17:32to overcome such seemingly impossible obstacles,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35which contributed to the coveted World Heritage title.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39You can see how seriously difficult it must have been
0:17:39 > 0:17:41to channel through this rock.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43And because this slender route
0:17:43 > 0:17:46was never originally intended for heavy traffic,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49it's created some interesting navigational challenges
0:17:49 > 0:17:51for today's novice boater.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56And for me, there's the chance to immerse myself in another great canal tradition,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59the art of gongoozling, a lovely old canal word,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02which simply means stopping, staring,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and watching a bit of canal life go by.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16This swing bridge which links farmland might make life for the cows easier,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20but for boaters, there are only inches on either side.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Looks like a tight squeeze.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25It's his first one, so...
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Ooh, here we go.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Are we going to touch the side?
0:18:30 > 0:18:33No. You've done this before.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36A little bit. Not much, though.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Very good. I was expecting a little crunch.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44Well done.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Ooh, millimetres to go, there.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Phew! And he's through.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03Out the way.
0:19:03 > 0:19:09Today this charming stretch of waterway is one of the country's most popular,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13with over 15,000 boats travelling along it each year.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17But boat traffic like this is a far cry from the original design
0:19:17 > 0:19:19that Telford conceived.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24Back then, keeping his visionary aqueduct stocked with water was paramount
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and he was determined to succeed.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29In 1793, he wrote,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33"It is the greatest work, I believe, now in hand in this kingdom."
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Hiya. Hello.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45I must get myself on one of those in a minute.
0:19:45 > 0:19:51Today, boats can steadily chug their way along a pretty uncomplicated route.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53By following the natural contours,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Telford cleverly avoided the need for any locks.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59As the River Dee flows steadily downwards,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03the canal, instead, sticks above it, hugging the valleyside.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06The tree-lined banks open out to glorious, wide views.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11The river's a long way down now,
0:20:11 > 0:20:16which means my stream in the sky can't be too far away.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22So before I start on the final stretch of my walk,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24there's time to enjoy one last view,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and a bit of towpath foraging.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Hiya. A bit of blackberry-picking?
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Just a bit, yeah.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Oh, that's nice.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Crumble pie.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Crumble pie? Are you going to make it?
0:20:37 > 0:20:38- No, I am.- Good.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- All going to make it. - Do you live around here?
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Yeah, we live in Llangollen.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46It must be lovely to be so close to everything.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51Yeah, it's beautiful. You've seen the escarpment? Have you come from Horseshoe Falls?
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Climbing and walking and mountain biking, it's great.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- All good outdoor stuff I approve of. - How far are you walking?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59- To the end, to the aqueduct.- OK.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Hopefully it's not too much further.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- You haven't been over it before?- No.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- It's quite exciting.- So I've heard.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- It's quite exciting if you bike over it.- Yeah, I can't wait to see it.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14- Quite a drop.- Yeah, just beautiful, gorgeous views down the valley.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Got a pretty good view here, though.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- It's not bad, is it?- It's lovely.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Right, I shall get on, then, for my prize. Lovely to meet you.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- Do you want a blackberry? - Yeah, I'll take a blackberry.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- Lovely. Have a good crumble, guys. - Thank you. Happy walking.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37The aqueduct is certainly going to be a grand finale to my walk,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41and its ambition is perhaps all the more astounding
0:21:41 > 0:21:45because it came so soon after the first engineering experiments with cast iron.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Telford had been an instant convert to this new alternative to stone.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54You can barely make it out amongst the trees,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58but there's my first glimpse of the aqueduct.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09It took 200 men and ten years,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12but it was eventually completed in 1805.
0:22:18 > 0:22:24Given the scale, it's extraordinary that its construction almost went without a hitch.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29One man died in the process,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33which a contemporary account describes rather starkly.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34"He experienced no suffering,
0:22:34 > 0:22:39as the tremendous height from which he fell caused instant dissolution."
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Well, there's a warning.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Back down on the walk, the aqueduct is just over a mile away.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The thrilling bit is going across it,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57so I'm heading to where the feeder canal joins the aqueduct,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00where I'm hoping to find an intriguing local character,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Jones the Boats.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07someone I've heard has a head for heights and might just be able to help me cross the big one.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09That's what I'm after.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Hello, hello. I know who you are.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14How are you doing, Peter?
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Fine, thank you.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20- How much do I have to pay to get across the aqueduct? - Well, seeing as it's you, hop on.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22That's what I wanted to hear.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23You lead the way.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25There we are.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Great, I'll put that away in there out the way.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- The aqueduct's clear so we'll go. - Perfect.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37We're now leaving the basin area behind.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42It's a real hub, and the gathering point for people building up to make the big crossing.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47So what are the rules? How do you make sure that you get your place?
0:23:47 > 0:23:52It's a simple system. If you can see your way clear, you can go. If you can't, you wait.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Well, we can definitely see our way clear, so we're on our way.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Now, I feel now as if I should be on that side.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02- Um...- To get the full view.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Yes, well, if you'd like to come round.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06I want the full experience here.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Right. Be careful, though, as you can see.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I will. Oh, my God!
0:24:15 > 0:24:16That's mad!
0:24:18 > 0:24:23It is quite incredible. I don't know anything like this in the country.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27No, it is the highest navigable aqueduct in the country.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29And to be able just to be here,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31like this, hanging off the edge.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- Yes.- It's incredible.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35It's been here 200 years.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57The engineering is quite extraordinary.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59I mean, how's this been constructed?
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Well, it stands on 18 stone pillars,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06local stone, brought down from the hills around, dressed on site.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Then the blocks were held together
0:25:09 > 0:25:11with a mortar strengthened with ox blood and lime.
0:25:14 > 0:25:161700 oxen were used in the process, apparently.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Not the place to be an ox.- No.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24And then the trough that we're in is cast iron.
0:25:25 > 0:25:31And so as a sealant, he came up with a gasket that was Welsh flannel
0:25:31 > 0:25:36dipped in boiling sugar, and then the edges sealed off with lead.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39And so, all the cooks usually tell me,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42"Boiling sugar, oh, yes, treacle toffee."
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And that's what's keeping the water in at the moment.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50So we're basically in a big bath that's held together by toffee.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Well, it...
0:25:52 > 0:25:54I suppose that's basically it, yes.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Fair enough.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57But it's lasted this long.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01It's lasted this long. It doesn't leak and hasn't leaked.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06I would just hitch a lift with you every time if I could. I love it.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08I'd be very glad for you to do that.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Right, I'll do a little bit of ducking and diving.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13There we are.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14And I shall make my exit.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Thank you very much indeed.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Thank you very much. That was fantastic. Safe as you go.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21- Yep.- See you.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22- See you, bye.- Bye.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Well, I've got to do it by foot now, haven't I?
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Its name might be a bit of a tongue-twister,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41and its height can also tie your stomach in knots,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43but one thing is very clear.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47This "stream through the skies" is a phenomenal piece of engineering.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56It rubs shoulders with the likes of Stonehenge and the Taj Mahal
0:26:56 > 0:26:57as a World Heritage Site.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00But it also remains Telford's great legacy.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02A grand plan on a grand scale,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05that's never since been repeated.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10And this is what he so brilliantly managed to achieve.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12He took the water from the River Dee,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and made it fly above itself.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53It's this bridge which brings so many people to this part of Wales.
0:27:53 > 0:27:58They come, quite rightly, to gasp and gaze in admiration.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01And even though this is the big prize,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03back there, the story unfolds,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07of a river and a canal entwined for hundreds of years,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10that have helped pave the fortune of this green valley.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Llangollen Canal, you beauty.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:38 > 0:28:42E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk