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Location notes
A small town just on the Welsh side of the River Dee valley, a few miles south of Wrexham on the Chester - Shrewsbury line.
Railway type and traffic
Hourly Chester - Shrewsbury service, with some trains starting back from North Wales, South Wales or Birmingham. A mix of 158s and 175s.
Some freight, mainly steel from Dee Marsh to South Wales.
Some freight, mainly steel from Dee Marsh to South Wales.
Environment
A viaduct in open country at the south end of Chirk town. Photos can be taken from the adjacent aqueduct tow path, from above the canal tunnel portal and from the B4500 road that runs east-west at the north end of the tunnel. The area is very quiet during the day and in between trains, there are benches at the side of the canal basin to sit on and watch the narrow boats go by.
Road directions
From the south:
Take the A5 from Shrewsbury towards Chester and take the B5070 at a roundabout a few miles north of Gobowen. After crossing the Rover Dee and into Wales, you will come to a crossroads. Turn left onto the B4500 and after about 1/4 mile, you will see Station Road (Ffordd-yr-Orsaf) on the right. You can park on Station Road itself; do no't try parking on the B4500 as there is nowhere safe to do so.
From Chester and Wrexham:
Take the A483 south past Wrexham until you get to the roundabout where it meets the A5. Turn right onto the A5 (signposted Llangollen) and left onto the B5070 (signposted Chirk) after about half a mile. Take B5070 to Chirk and just as you arrive at the village, turn right into Station Avenue (signposted Chirk station) and at the station, turn left into Station Road/Ffordd-yr-Orsaf. The junction with the B4500 is about 1/4 mile further on.From the Llangollen direction:
Take the A5 towards Wrexham to the B5070 roundabout mentioned above; turn right onto the B5070 and then follow the same directions as from Chester.
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Chirk Viaduct map co-ordinates
Take the A5 from Shrewsbury towards Chester and take the B5070 at a roundabout a few miles north of Gobowen. After crossing the Rover Dee and into Wales, you will come to a crossroads. Turn left onto the B4500 and after about 1/4 mile, you will see Station Road (Ffordd-yr-Orsaf) on the right. You can park on Station Road itself; do no't try parking on the B4500 as there is nowhere safe to do so.
From Chester and Wrexham:
Take the A483 south past Wrexham until you get to the roundabout where it meets the A5. Turn right onto the A5 (signposted Llangollen) and left onto the B5070 (signposted Chirk) after about half a mile. Take B5070 to Chirk and just as you arrive at the village, turn right into Station Avenue (signposted Chirk station) and at the station, turn left into Station Road/Ffordd-yr-Orsaf. The junction with the B4500 is about 1/4 mile further on.From the Llangollen direction:
Take the A5 towards Wrexham to the B5070 roundabout mentioned above; turn right onto the B5070 and then follow the same directions as from Chester.
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Chirk Viaduct map co-ordinates
Parking
Limited car parking on Station Road; otherwise use the station car park, about 1/4 mile away.
Public transport
Chirk station is about 1/4 mile away and there are also Arriva bus services from Wrexham (daily) and Oswestry (Mon-Sat)
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Amenities
Nothing in the immediate vicinity and Chirk station is unstaffed; however, Chirk town centre is about 1/4 mile away.
Accommodation
Best places for hotels are Llangollen, Chester and Shrewsbury. There are also some bed and breakfasts locally.
Sun Compass
Sun Compass using Suncalc by brought to you by Vladimir Agafonkin:
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Chirk Viaduct
Streetmap links
Chirk Viaduct general view map
Chirk Viaduct close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Chirk Viaduct
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Chirk Viaduct
Googly map
Chirk Viaduct general view map
Chirk Viaduct close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Chirk Viaduct
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Railway Gen Group
Photographic notes
The best shots are in the morning until about 1100; you can get a good shot of a northbound train from above the canal tunnel with the aqueduct in view and other shots can be had from the canal tow path. The tow path can get busy with walkers at weekends. If you are lucky, you might get a narrow boat or two in your pic as well.
There is a passable afternoon shot from the B4500 looking through some gaps in trees, but in the afternoon, it is recommended that you go about half a mile to the west, where there is a minor road on the right (you can park one or two cars here) and this gives a more distant broadside view of both the canal aqueduct and the railway viaduct.
The best place for videos would be the canal tow path, but you have to watch out for walkers.
There is a passable afternoon shot from the B4500 looking through some gaps in trees, but in the afternoon, it is recommended that you go about half a mile to the west, where there is a minor road on the right (you can park one or two cars here) and this gives a more distant broadside view of both the canal aqueduct and the railway viaduct.
The best place for videos would be the canal tow path, but you have to watch out for walkers.
General views - All photographs © Richard Allen unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking south
From the top of the canal tunnel
Fig 2 - Looking north
From the canal towpath
Fig 3 - Looking south
Disclaimer
All information contained within this is site is © Trainspots. The images used on this site remain the property of the original photographer, as credited at the top of the page, and are used with their kind permission.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
