Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

The real masterpiece of civil engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834) is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, completed in 1805 to carry the Llangollen Canal over the Dee River. At 316m long and 38m high, it is perhaps the most spectacular piece of engineering on the entire UK canal system and the highest canal aqueduct ever built. The first stone of the aqueduct, which connected the rivers Severn, Mersey and Dee at the height of the Industrial Revolution, was laid in 1795.

More recently it was nominated by the government as a World Heritage site. If accepted by Unesco, the aqueduct will join Stonehenge and the Tower of London on the list of World Heritage sites in Britain.

The aqueduct is about 4 miles east of Llangollen, near the village of Froncysyllte - walk along the towpath, or drive out on the A539 Ruabon road.