In the long lost annals of time, early man could, so it's widely held, communicate through sign language and a primitive code of grunts, growls and inflections. Language since then has been an ever-changing and developing phenomenon and concept.

Experts in more modern times have devoted a great deal of attention as to just how modern man and woman parley with one another and generally communicate. And it would seem men are rather more reticent when it comes to speaking at all, and can only muster a mere 7,000 words a day in speech. While modern woman, is said to have an undying devotion to conversation, and is said to get through at least 20,000 words a day in the diurnal run of things.

According to Dr Luan Brizedine, who has recently released her book:'In the Female Mind', there are inherent differences between the male and female brain, which gives rise to women's passion for talking.

Supposedly women have areas of the brain devoted to speech in both their left and right hemispheres, which is meant to make them natural conversationalists. Men have some speech centres in the left side of their brain, but they don't seem to be as prominent as they are in women.

Dr Brizedine based her book on over 1000 scientific surveys and her own clinical research. To be fair, these scientifically proven facts have perhaps been well known already for generations and have been keeping advice columnists in business for ages around the world.

But if one of them wanted to offer some counselling and guidance in English the choice of words at their disposal would be on a much larger and more expansive scale. English, it has long been said has one of the largest and most diverse choice of words of any language - easy to learn, but taking a lifetime to master, so the old adage goes. And this is mainly attributed so many diverse nations invading and stamping their own particular language and culture on the British Isles.

The Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Normans, Danes and Vikings are just a few of the insurgents who have had varying degrees of success on these shores.

They have left a legacy of language that is hard to ignore, that replaced the original Celtic languages of the erstwhile Britons that later diverged into Scots Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Cornish and Welsh.

Indeed people need not choose a simple straightfoward, time-honoured word, when there at least 12 other options or synonyms that would do equally well. And perhaps because English has evolved over 1500 years or more, depending on the success of various invaders, the influence of other languages and cultures is most keenly and certainly felt.

But while the aforementioned mighty, invading Viking warriors and Norsemen seem to have undoubtedly left indelible marks on our language and place names, there has, however, been a revival of Welsh for example in modern times to ensure this most ancient of languages still very much lives on. Pushed back by the invading Angles and Saxons in 5th century Britain, the true Britons spoke what is now Welsh across all of the British Isles.

However, after the defeat of King Arthur at Camlann in 537AD, it seemed that the Saxon invasion and onslaught was unstoppable and the last vesitiges of the true British race took refuge in what is now Wales.

English developed from these early Germanic languages and dialects. However, Welsh did not appear to be diluted or influenced greatly by their language.

Perhaps people across much of Britain today presume it's largely the same, except for some strong regional dialects or accents. But they'd be very wrong in their overall assumptions. Welsh, for example, while once banned in the 19th century, has now become a dominant force in all things to do with the Principality. It appears everywhere on places names, in government documents and on tourism and travel brochures. If a teacher heard someone speak the language in class during say Victorian times, they could, so it has been observed (bitterly), expect to have some chalk or some other missile chucked at their head.

But today in supposedly more enlighted times, Welsh is more widely spoken than perhaps it has ever been, even if it does take some time for an outsider to acquire an understanding of what to say and exactly how to say it. One slip of the tongue, or a vowel or letter in the wrong place, and you could end up far, far away from the very place you intended to be, particularly when say asking for directions.

And it was with much amusement and interest that this writer discovered they had not been looking for the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at all, pronounced Pont - e - sill - te, but rather the Pont - kuss- uth - tay Aqueduct. Inflection and pronunciation is everything in Welsh!

Certainly among one of the severn modern wonders of Wales, at 127ft tall and over 1000ft long, this walkway and canal route is one of the highest and most impressive in all of Britain.

Constructed by industrial revolution stalwart, Thomas Telford, it was meant to be a major link between North Wales to the Midlands. In its first incarnation it didn't reach its target of Netherpool or what is now Ellesmere Port, but formed part of the ambitious Llangollen Canal. This was primarily introduced to enable the efficient transport of coal, iron and other goods (such as flour, tiles and ale) from Wales to the rest of England.

Several routes were mooted, but the most difficult through the Ruabon Valley was chosen, because of the hive of industrial activity there. There was iron works, chemical company and brickworks and an invaluble supply of coal near Bersham in Wrexham.

Famous civil engineer, Thomas Telford (and William Jessop) was called in to iron out any difficulties. Two aqueducts and two tunnels were built along with the canal in a bid to ensure its completion. Money ran out for the venture in the early 19th century,and the Llangollen canal is rather more of a stand-alone waterway.

But it has left a lasting legacy of leviathan public works that broke back the bounds of technological advancements for the time, and has also left an amazing array of monuments of a bygone age for people to explore and enjoy.

Certainly, it would take the heart of a warrior king or indeed princess to make it across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Deceptively easy at first glance, there is, however, a long drop down, so it does help to literally have an iron nerve as you step out on the narrow walkway/towpath and start to drink in the amazing views and scenery.

Apart from all the iron panelling, basin and sturdy stone piers or pillars, 18 in all, the secret ingredients to ensure that the aqueduct stands for an eternity is oxen blood and boiled sugar. These were used as fixing agents to ensure that all the mouldings, fabricated nearby and at Shrewsbury, held fast. (To be more precise oxen blood along with water and lime was used to make up mortar for the stonework, while flannel was dipped in boiling sugar to caulk the metal joints. Thereafter they were all sealed with lead).

And it would be fair to say that the waterway happily took my weight and can also manage narrowboats with a generous cargo of passengers.

Just to add to the fun, there is a sheer drop, with no railings on the canal side, so when someone ventures out as head bargee, they really can put their nerves of steel to the test. Apparently, railings were meant to have been fitted there. But perhaps due to budget cuts, it was decided to do without.

Barge owners are clamouring to rent out or steer people across the canal at the car park at the Trefor terminal. Emma's Day Hire or Anglo Welsh are just a few of the companies eager to offer you their services (go to www.anglo-welsh.co.uk for more details).

Boats can be hired for a round-trip from here, or from Llangollen wharf, where huge narrowboats that can seat up to at least 30 comfortably are available with fully licenced bars and cafes.

Interestingly, horse drawn boats are also available here, where one sturdy shire horse effortlessly pulls a barge along the canal as was the case when narrowboats were first brought into operation.

So now to conquer the aqueduct: if you're not afraid of heights, it can feel like you're almost suspended in mid-air because the walkway and canal are only 11' 10" across.

The railings on the towpath side, are fairly low and don't interrupt the far-reaching views of the Trefor Basin and River Dee that thunders on by underneath.

Perhaps what takes you most by surprise is the sheer height of the overall aqueduct, or rather the massive drop if the efficacy of the oxen blood and boiled sugar suddenly wears off.

Once a veritable hive of industrial activity, a tramway was actually in operation near this point and was lifted up from the bottom of the valley below. Apparently, there was much smoke, flames and smog as the factories and ironworks churned out their products at an amazing rate.

Today, however, nature has reclaimed the Trefor Basin once more, and there is pleasant swathes of greenery, dispersed by precariously placed buildings on the hillsides.

The Dee, at over 70 miles long, is a determined and typically fast-flowing river and trundles beneath you at an amazingly rapid pace.

Having its source on the slopes of Dduallt, above Llanuwchllyn in the mountains of Snowdonia, the river passes through Bala Lake, the Denbigh Moors, over the Horseshoe Falls, Llangollen and Mold until it reaches Chester and the Dee Estuary.

Here at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, it is fairly wide, not too deep and a magnet for walkers, day-trippers and those who enjoy fishing.

In the far distance on the bridge, you can also spy the Chirk Aqueduct, which is the mid-point of the planned walk. This lesser known section of waterway, was built to carry the Ellesmere Canal, just like the Pontcysyllte.

Building began a year after its sister canalway 1796, but it was finished in half the time by 1801. It was primarily built of local stone, quarried from the nearby Pont Faen. The bed of the canal however comprises of iron plates and its 10 circular arches each span 40 feet each. At 70 feet high it is just over a half the size of the Pontcysyllte.

So after you've strolled the length of the Pontecysyllte and taken in the views from this excellent, high vantage point, it's time to cover the rest of this designated walk.

People need to first take the rough steps that have been carved into the hillside on the lefthandside of the aqueduct at Trefor.

From here, people can have an excellent view of the tall, towering piers that hold up the rather precarious canalway above it. But for 200 years, it's certainly stood the test of time,and that's obviously thanks to those generous unconventional fixing agents: oxen blood and boiled sugar - the unsung heroes of the civil engineering world.

The canalway is indeed a shining testament and monument to Wales' great industrial history. You feel literally dwarfed by all the piers immense height and wonder how on earth, they managed to construct such a fine piece of work across such a broad and energy-charged river.

At a total cost of £47,000 at the time, the aqueduct opened for business on 26 November 1805. Three barges were said to have gone across the length of the aqueduct; the first carried local dignatories, the second some Shropshire Volunteers and third and by no means least, a cargo of coal - to symbolise the aqueducts primary industrial function.

You can get close to the water's edge and see it rush past in a whirlwind. One or two fisherman can generally be found by the riverside, but this route was refreshingly quiet and a simple footpath was all that needed to be followed.

Mirroring the water's edge, people can have a clear view of the river as it gushes downstream. There are plenty of openings by the riverbanks so people can stop and rest awhile or maybe have a picnic.

The view of the aqueduct is particularly awe-inspiring and appealing, and there is a constant flow of day-trippers and tourists who traverse its length from either end.

The pleasant, decidous woodland either frames the pathway or is scattered around the meadows and fields that line the overall route.

Every so often, small rills filled with water, crash down the hillside and hurry onward to join the swift and surging current of the Dee.

A few ramshackle footbridges help walkers to ford these determined and forceful smaller streams.

As you walk on, you leave the hustle and bustle of the Trefor crossing point behind, and you can feel pleased to have much of the walkway and its verdant surroundings all to yourself. Walking is perhaps never more enjoyable when you can strike out with a small group of family or friends and allow yourselves to be immersed in the enchanting sounds and sights of misty meadows, a sun-dappled river and untidy woodland.

The countryside is certainly a world away from suburban living of that of any town or city. It's interesting to be apart of a rural life and watch for example the daily management of a farm that you pass on the far side of the river.

Cattle lazily chew the grass and amble carefree up and down the hillside. A farm worker seems to be coppicing today or making much use of an electric chainsaw for some wood cutting.

Two barns are brimming with feed, bales of hay and equipment. A pleasant alternative perhaps to a PC screen, vending machine coffee and an airless office.

After a half an hour or so, you will eventually come to a wooden pier that leads up some steps to a small outdoor farm kept in the confines of the Cefn Mawr country park.

There are sheep and a llama, and there is polite warnings not to feed them at all, but just to leave them to eat the grass.

The Chirk Aqueduct comes sharply into focus as you continue along the designated footpath. You can then stay awhile and stop for some refreshment, or turn heel and follow the routeway back to the Trefor car park.

Then perhaps, you can find a suitable tea room or country inn at say nearby Llangollen, Oswestry or Chirk, or perhaps take a fuller tour of the area on an unhurried and relaxed narrowboat ride.

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