Start at Ruabon railway station, a level five-minute walk from the village centre. Spend the morning at St Mary's Church and its lychgate war memorial, taking in the Eyton effigy and the Williams Wynn monuments inside, before a short stop at the Old Grammar School building in the churchyard.
From the village, choose between a shorter option — the waymarked circular through Gardden Woods to the Y Gardden hillfort, with wide Dee Valley views for relatively little climbing — or head straight for lunch at the Wynnstay Arms or the Duke of Wellington before the afternoon's main walk.
In the afternoon, walk or cycle the Llangollen Canal towpath via Acrefair and Cefn Mawr to Trevor Basin and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct itself, the tallest navigable aqueduct in the world. A café and toilets at the basin make a natural end point, with seasonal boat trips available for anyone who'd rather finish the day on the water than on foot.
From Trevor Basin, local buses run back toward Ruabon via Wrexham for anyone who'd rather not retrace the whole walk; alternatively, Ruabon station's regular Transport for Wales service (see Getting to Ruabon) makes it easy to end the day at a different point than you started, without needing a car for the whole route.
This itinerary covers roughly six to eight miles on foot if walked in full, more comfortably done by splitting the canal towpath section by bike or bus for anyone short on time. Sturdy footwear is worth packing for the Gardden Woods option; the canal towpath itself needs no special equipment. Free on-street parking is available near Ruabon village centre, with pay-and-display parking at Trevor Basin.
Search hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses and self-catering — powered by Booking.com.
Search Accommodation on Booking.com →Powered by Booking.com — our affiliate partner
Day trips