Welsh waters: Day 12

Another day of sunshine and showers, and shortly after we set off at about 8.15 there was a very vivid example of what happens when you get both together.

We arrived at Frankton Junction less than half an hour later, and turned into the Montgomery Canal.  There were a few boats moored there, but only one that appeared to be set to go down so we tucked in behind to wait for the locks to open.  Shortly afterwards, a couple of lock keepers arrived and the boat ahead started to go down.  There’s a staircase lock first, and once they were in the lower chamber I reset the top one for us and we started on our way down.

There are then a couple of single locks, and we crossed with a boat coming up.  At the bottom, there was also another boat heading for the locks.  I opted to walk on to the next lock, which is about half a mile away.  The boat ahead of us was mooring at the junction with the short Weston Branch.  The next bridge on the mainline is No 70 — because the numbers continue from the Llangollen main line.  There was a hire boat coming through.

I warned the boat that Adrian was coming round the corner, and suggested they toot their horn as a warning.  I carried on walking, but Adrian says the two boats danced round each other very well.  At Graham Palmer Lock, a boat was arriving to come up, but the lock was in our favour with the gate half open, so I claimed it for us and Adrian was soon arriving.  It has a shallow fall of under 2ft.  The next section is long and straight, and very tree-lined.

At Heath Houses, the railway crosses the canal, and there’s an old packet house and a bridge beyond.

Unusually there were no boats moored at Queen’s Head, where the A5 crosses the canal.  Next come the three Aston Locks, which Adrian worked.  The top one needed filling, but a boat was coming up the middle one, and then a boat arrived below it as we were ready to leave.  This canal is so narrow and shallow, locks are probably the best places to meet boats coming the other way.  We carried on for another mile or so and moored at Maesbury Marsh, opposite the old bone works.  We are the only boat here.  Just as we arrived, there was a heavy shower of very big raindrops, but at least it only lasted for 60 seconds.

After lunch, we went for a walk around the village, which apart from some old buildings near the canal is largely fairly modern housing.  We walked down a lane to the next bridge, where the Canal Central cafe was open.  It’s only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so I think this is the first time we’ve been able to visit.  We had tea and coffee, and the tea pots had knitted tea cosies.

We have booked for dinner at The Navigation this evening.  This is another place that only opens at the weekend; we’ve been here both previous times we’ve been down the Monty, and it’s been very good.

The latest podcast is out today.  It’s about the IWA lock wind last month at Cholmondeston Lock, and you can listen to it here.

7 miles, 8 locks.  (43 miles, 27 locks)

Wending to Wales: Day 14

Our mooring last night was excellent — on our own, quiet, and feeling very remote.  This morning we set off at 8 and were soon at Frankton Junction, where we turned left onto the Montgomery Canal and moored up to wait for the locks to open.  You have to book to go down onto the Monty, and these days the locks are open between 9am and 1pm.  One boat, an ABC hire boat was already waiting, and there we two boats just on the moorings.  Just before 9, a lock keeper and a volunteer arrived and got the locks ready to open. First the hire boat went down the staircase pair at the top, then we followed.

Another boat arrived at the top to go down, but although there were three booked to come back up, none of them were waiting at the bottom.  Between the third and fourth lock is a very lovely looking house.

I decided to walk the half mile or so between the four Frankton Locks and the next one, Graham Palmer Lock.  I was pleased to see the hire boat had turned into the Weston Arm and was at the water point, meaning we’d overtake them.  The lock, which has a tiny fall, is named after the founder of the Waterways Recovery Group, and the relief of his face on the memorial stone, which had weathered very badly, has been replaced by a photo.

Long sections of the Monty are dead straight, but there are nice views across the countryside.  Much to our surprise, we met a moving boat just after the narrows at what used to be Bridge 73.  At Heath Houses, there’s a former Packet Boat terminal.

We passed through Queen’s Head and arrived at the top of the three Aston Locks.  Adrian decided he’d work them; the top two were full but the third was empty.  At the middle one, a group of kids had been swimming, and helped push the gates; they wanted Adrian to refill the lock for them, but he declined!  The bottom lock has one of the canal’s mile posts alongside.

We had a table booked for Sunday lunch at the Navigation at Maesbury Marsh, but not until 2pm no we hadn’t known how long it would take us to get there. In fact it was only about 12.15 so we decided we had enough time to go to the end of the navigable canal and come back again, rather than saving the journey for the afternoon.  We met another moving boat at the very narrow bit before the lift bridge, which wasn’t ideal.  Then we went through the bridge, past the winding hole which was the end of the canal last time we were here, on Debdale in 2010, and on through the former head of navigation, Bridge 82.

Another mile or so of canal was re-opened earlier this year.  The first section is quite pretty.

There’s a new lift bridge which is set to the raised position, and a couple of road bridges.  Then you pass an animal feed mill and arrive at Crickheath Wharf, where there are some moorings and a massive winding hole.  The next bridge, 85, is now the one that’s blocked.

We turned around and re-traced our steps, returning to through Bridge 79 where we tied up at the far end of the moorings with a few minutes to spare before our booking.

Sunday lunch at the Navvy was good.  The pub is still owned by the guys who had it when we were last here, but since Covid they’ve had to take on other jobs so the opening hours are reduced.  Maybe it was busier at proper lunchtime, but it was fairly quiet while we were there.  As we walked back to the boat there was a shower of rain, and there have been one or two other brief ones since.   It given the forecast, we’ve been pretty lucky.  It’s still warm and humid, but not as hot as the last few days.

11 miles, 8 locks.  (184 miles, 122 locks)