One of Wales' best-known tourist attractions facing lengthy closure

The world famous Pontcysyllte aqueduct

One of Wales’ most famous tourist attractions is to be closed for a lengthy period of time, with people being told to get there before it closes.

The spectacular aqueduct at Pontcysyllte is to shut for two-and-a-half months in the new year so it can be “dewatered”. It is the world’s highest navigable aqueduct and a World Heritage Site. You can find 28 hidden Welsh gems you’ll fall instantly in love with here.

So anyone hoping to visit it for a post-Christmas walk has just seven days before maintenance starts on a four-mile stretch of the Llangollen Canal. Water will be pumped from the canal to enable the structure to be inspected, North Wales Live reports.

Towpath supports will also be replaced during the work, due to start on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. It will continue until Friday, March 15, 2024. Between these dates, the aqueduct will be closed to all boats and pedestrians.

The Trevor Basin Visitor Centre is urging visitors to make the most of the opportunity while they can. “If you’re planning a winter walk along Pontcysyllte to walk off your Christmas feasting with the family, make sure you get out there before January 2,” it said on social media.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is part of a Unesco World Heritage Site that includes the first 11 miles of the Llangollen Canal. Known as the “Stream in the Sky”, it stands 126ft above the Dee Valley and is one of the most impressive structures anywhere in Wales. The Canal & River Trust (CRT) has warned the engineering “masterpiece” is at risk of permanent closure due to budget cuts. From 2027, the trust is set to lose almost half of its funding – amounting to more than £300 million in real terms – over a 10-year period. Periodic maintenance is carried out on the aqueduct most years. However the 2024 closure is the longest of recent times.

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