Looking to escape? Here’s a recent trip local readers took to Wales. Check it out, then find more reader travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.
WALES: Willow Glen residents Allan and Maly Hughes say they had the loveliest time taking an unusual vacation. They traveled the canals of Wales in a 55-foot-long “narrowboat” that is less than 7 feet wide. Resembling a minnow near the surface of the water, these rental boats come with easy instructions for beginners who are unfamiliar with how to operate the canal’s lock system along the way.
“We bought food at a local market before picking up the boat, mostly breakfast stuff and a few pre-packaged dinners, since there’s both a microwave and an oven on the boat,” Allan Hughes explained. “Although the boat is long and narrow, it’s surprisingly roomy for two people.” Their boat had a full-size bedroom, bathroom and fireplace,
Traveling at speeds of just 2-3 mph, the couple was able to enjoy the leisurely pace of their nautical adventures. At dinnertime, they could tie up the boat and walk to the nearest pub, then hop back on.
They spent four nights on the Llangollen Canal, crossing the aqueduct outside the town of Llangollen in North Wales. They also used the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which “crosses the Dee Valley on 19 cast-iron spans at a height of 126 feet, and it’s recognized internationally as a masterpiece of canal architecture,” Allan said.
After four nights in North Wales, they took a train to South Wales and spent seven more nights on a narrowboat, this time traveling on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal.
Willow Glen residents Allan and Maly Hughes rented a narrowboat to travel the Llangollen Canal in North Wales (photo courtesy of Allan Hughes).
TRAVEL TIPS: “We flew to Gatwick from LAX nonstop,” Hughes said, “and had purchased a BritRail pass and took a train into Wales to the town nearest the boat rental, then a taxi to the boat rental. Canals are all over England and Wales, so we chose which part of the country to visit, then did an online search for narrow boat rentals in that area and always had several to choose from.
“Almost all rentals require you to return the boat to where you started and provide plenty of fuel for the duration of the trip; you have to fill the water tank every couple of days from canal-side water taps. Travel light! Not too much storage on the boat, so small suitcases are the order of the day.
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“As it rains often in the U.K., dress accordingly. We brought rain gear and only used it one day. You can always pull over and tie up on the canal but then you don’t see as much so there’s an urge to keep going even if it’s raining. And the rain didn’t last long.
“An excellent website, which pretty much answers all questions about narrowboats, is beaconparkboats.com in Wales, where we rented the ‘Heron.’ The cost was about $260/night for a seven night rental, which includes everything except food.
“For airfare, we tried Norse Atlantic, which is a great low-cost airline, flies only out of LAX, nonstop to Gatwick, Rome and other European destinations. They fly only the Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner,’ which is a very nice plane. We chose the ‘premium’ class, their equivalent to business class, and one way from LAX to Gatwick was $550, including meals, checked luggage, etc. Not a bad deal! So we took Southwest to LAX, then walked to the Norse Atlantic gate. Great flight.”
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