The flat, easy path follows the Shropshire Union Canal towpath as
it runs parallel with the river and the restored Llangollen Steam Railway
line.
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Distance: 3 km/2 miles
Difficulty: Easy (short and
level)
The Horseshoe Falls is a picturesque semicircular weir designed
by the famous engineer Thomas Telford in 1806 to supply water to the Llangollen
branch of the Shropshire Union Canal. Until the coming of the railways, the
canal was busy with narrowboats carrying slates to Birmingham and London.
Unfortunately, the canal took so much water from the river that many of the
mills on the river Dee went out of business.
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Upstream
of Llangollen, the Dee valley narrows to cut between the Llantysilio Mountains
and the Berwyns. Here, a historic succession of transport routes crowd together
through the gap: the river, canal, railway and Telford’s London-Holyhead
A5 trunk road. Today, all four can be seen at Berwyn. But while the road
remains busy, the river, canal and railway now carry only seasonal
tourists.
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