32 Miles with 18 Locks, a 1 Week Cruise at 4hrs a Day.
Leaving Chirk Marina and heading South you enter Chirk cuttings which leads directly into the Chirk Tunnel (440 yards), then immediately onto Chirk Aqueduct which crosses the River Ceirog which forms the Wales and England Border. After passing some quite narrow sections, the canal opens up and you enter St Martins moor before reaching New Marton Locks, (2 locks about 1/4 mile apart). The canal then passes through open cuttings until it reaches Frankton Junction where the Montgomery Canal joins from the right.
Turning right at the junction, the access to the ‘Monty’ is regulated by CRT and passage has to be prebooked. There is first a double staircase lock which leads to two further locks. Further down, the canal continues but is quite shallow so stay as close to the middle when steering. The route passes the Queens Head, then onto Maesbury Marsh and shortly after to Gronwen Wharf, which is the end of the navigation and your limit on this canal. Heading back and reaching Frankton Junction turning right will take you to Ellesmere in around an hour, turning left to return to Chirk.