Ellwhi two

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This route follows the Llangollen canal and part of the former Whitchurch to Oswestry railway between the rural market towns of Ellesmere and Whitchurch. The route passes through the post-glacial landscape of the Meres and Mosses which formed around 10,000 years ago as ice sheets retreated to leave pools and peat-forming bogs.

Following this walk and the associated EllWhi1 route, I completed a series of 30+ paintings and silkscreen monoprints featuring observations I made during the two walks, a selection of which are uploaded to the Slow Ways website.

Starting at the old wharf near the centre of Ellesmere, I headed south east along the tow path of the Ellesmere Arm to join the Llangollen canal. The route continues along the tow path through cuttings and woodland for a long distance, passing Blakemere, Colemere, Lineal Moss and across the border from England into Wales just to the west of Bettisfield. At Bettisfield, there are old railway station buildings, and the fine Parish Church of St John the Baptist, built in 1874 and designed by George Edmund Street.

At the first canal bridge east of Bettisfield, the route takes a footpath across a field to join a track along the old railway line. This continues in a straight line back across into England heading north east across the northern edge of the Fenn’s Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve. A fantastic and atmospheric lowland peat bog, third largest in the UK. For further information see https://themeresandmosses.co.uk/ and the Mosses and Marshes project (https://ofthemosses.com/) I co-led with artist Kim Goldsmith, linking the Mosses with the Macquarie Marshes in New South Wales, Australia, another internationally significant wetland.

As the track reaches woodland at the north east corner of the Mosses, take the right hand fork footpath as far as Fenn’s Bank Lane. Turn right as far as Brickwall Lane then turn left to rejoin the Llangollen canal. The route then continues along the canal through more open country towards Whitchurch. The path turns eastwards beyond the Whitchurch Arm of the canal, through Waterway Park along a footpath alongside the Stagg’s Brook and on towards the historic High Street.

This is an easy route to follow with no access difficulties encountered and very little noticeable change in level along the whole route which is almost entirely on canal towpaths or wide tracks along the old railway line. The adjacent landscape offers much interest and biodiversity to explore.

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