A short visitor's guide to Trevor, Wrexham: things to do, places to eat and drink, and what's on through the year.
Trevor (Welsh: Trefor) is a small village in the scenic Vale of Llangollen, on the A539 between Llangollen and Wrexham. It sits at one end of the most photographed stretch of canal in Britain, where the Llangollen Canal sails out across the Dee Valley on Thomas Telford's stone-and-iron aqueduct.
The overwhelming reason visitors come is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the centrepiece of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site, with the Trevor Basin at its eastern end as the natural place to start a walk or a boat trip. Beyond the aqueduct, the village is a useful base for exploring the wider Dee Valley, with Cefn Mawr and the Cefn Viaduct just down the hill.
Trevor's attractions are dominated by one of the most spectacular feats of canal engineering in Britain.
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is the headline: a 19-arch Thomas Telford structure carrying the Llangollen Canal 126 feet above the River Dee, fed by water from the Horseshoe Falls. It is comfortably the highest-rated attraction in Wrexham County Borough, with over seven thousand reviews and a 4.8-star average. You can walk across the towpath, look down through the railings to the river below, or take a horse-drawn or motor narrowboat ride from the Trevor Basin. Jones the Boats at the Old Wharf on Station Road is the long-standing local operator running boat trips out across the aqueduct and back. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Trevor Basin Visitor Centre at the basin is the place to pick up the World Heritage Site context before you set off.
A short walk along the canal towards Chirk, the Chirk Castle Limestone Company Monument at Froncysyllte is a small heritage marker worth a detour for industrial-history fans. For the best photo of the railway viaduct nearby, head to the Cefn Viaduct Viewpoint @ Holly Bush Inn in Cefn Mawr, where the pub gardens look straight out across the Dee Valley to the viaduct itself.
Most of Trevor's wet-weather options are in neighbouring Cefn Mawr, a short walk down the hill, plus a small studio gallery the other side of the aqueduct.
The Cefn Mawr & District Museum, in the Waterloo Room of the George Edwards Hall on Well Street, is a small volunteer-run history museum covering the local area's industrial past. A few minutes' walk away, the Cefn Mawr Library (Llyfrgell Cefn Mawr) on Plas Kynaston Lane is a well-rated branch of the Wrexham library service. For a different kind of stop, the Sanctuary Gallery in Froncysyllte is a small studio gallery showing the work of local artist Robin Bradbury.
Trevor's local for a pint and a meal sits right at the foot of the aqueduct, with a handful more pubs in walking distance through Acrefair and Cefn Mawr.
The Telford Inn on New Road, named for the aqueduct's engineer and standing literally at the bottom of it, is the obvious post-walk stop, a 4.3-star pub with hundreds of reviews and views straight up to the canal. A short walk along the Llangollen Road into Acrefair, the Duke Of Wellington is a friendly food-led pub serving hot and cold meals, with good beer and a dog-friendly welcome (call ahead for parties of seven or more). Further along, The Eagles Inn is the higher-rated Acrefair alternative for a quieter pint. Up the hill in Cefn Mawr, the Holly Bush Inn on Well Street has the bonus of straight-on views of the Cefn Viaduct from its garden.
If you're travelling with the dog, take a look at our dog-friendly holiday cottages in Trevor for a base within an easy walk of the canal.
The eating-out scene around Trevor is spread across Acrefair, Cefn Mawr and the A5 towards Llangollen, with a mix of family pub-restaurants and takeaways.
The most polished sit-down option is The Delph Bar and Restaurant on Bethania Road, Acrefair: a family-friendly venue with a bar, restaurant and outdoor play area, doing home-cooked food, Sunday roasts and function nights, and rated 4.5 stars. For a more casual evening, Acrefair Pizza & Kebab on Llangollen Road covers the takeaway end, and Sunny on Well Street in Cefn Mawr is the local Chinese fish and chip takeaway. On the A5 just outside Llangollen, Goodfillers Sandwich Bar is the go-to for a quick lunch on the move with a 4.6-star rating.
Trevor's best-known cafe sits within sight of the aqueduct in a converted chapel, with a couple more options just up the road.
The Pontcysyllte Chapel Tea Room in Bryn Seion Chapel on Station Road is the local landmark: a converted chapel with the original features kept and given a contemporary twist, serving tea in vintage cups, speciality coffees from trained baristas and locally sourced food. Afternoon teas are a speciality and can be booked ahead; the tearoom is dog-friendly with outside seating and Wi-Fi. A short walk away, the Aqueduct Diner is a 4.6-star coffee shop, and a little further afield in Cefn Mawr, Moonbakes on Crane Street is a newer independent coffee shop and bakery doing fresh cakes, pastries and responsibly sourced coffee, ten minutes' walk from the aqueduct.