TNC On Tour 2004 Page 14

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2004

14 - Llangollen to Maesbury Marsh, Llangollen Canal and Montgomery Canal - Including walk of un-restored section of the Montgomery Canal, Maesbury to Carreghofa.

Tuesday 13th April 2004

Neil thought he would be clever and try an early morning (well 06:55) start to miss the hoards of "down" facing boats moored on the Llangollen Visitor Moorings that we spotted last night on our brief walk into town (why does everybody have to moor in Llangollen? - come BW charging we certainly never will again)
Of course there was one rather persistent Anglo Welsh hire boat just coming out of the final long narrows - that did not seem to want to get over for the now "wide" section - oh well, it was his gunwales that got the scrape. With renewed vigour Neil now crept through the shallow narrows at maximum speed, with out draining water, to end up rattling along the bottom - not exactly very fast, but fast enough to just stop the next private boat escapee.
Rather good wind in the stanked off entrance to the now started mooring basin, just creep up the RH side, get level with entrance then put bow back into the force of the feeder flow and just a bit of gentle reverse, then the bow comes round all by itself. We started back at 07:30 and missed any more of the boats now itching to leave.
We were at the end of the feeder, Trevor at 09:05 and straight onto the Pontywotsit aqueduct, no one coming the other way. Pontyskylight now looks resplendent in its new coat of black - rather a good time to get some piccies of it. On the way over Neil spotted the draining sluice handle, now firmly bolted back in position. This of course lines up for a direct aim at the River Dee below.
Reasonable amount of traffic now about, 15 minute wait for Chirk Tunnel, but just managed to get on Chirk Aqueduct before the approaching boat. 13:20 saw us at the top of the Mont, with just one boat ahead of us to go down on the 14:30 locking. NB Earnest was now in search of some of the last "connected" locks on the English and Welsh waterways still to do.
Soon we were down the previously travelled Frankton staircase and lower two Frankton Locks, the boat in front headed up the stub of the Weston Arm to visit the facilities and we had the Mont virtually to ourselves. At Queens head we finally headed down knowing we would not have to reverse back. We had some time to kill, but decided to head on down to the end as there was no one about.
There was one boat on the Maesbury Visitor Mooring above the bridge and one boat at the end, just beyond the recently installed Crofts Mill lift Bridge No 81. There was a winding point before this, now last navigable bridge, but this has been "sacrificed" to the weed lovers and had been firmly piled off.
Just beyond the new lift bridge is an arm leading to the Maesbury Marine boatyard. The canal continues in water up to Gronwyn Bridge No 82, just before this is Maesbury hire boat company, with a arm / winding point flanked by a weir. After winding at the end we pulled up behind the narrowboat on the downstream lift bridge waiting area (only deep spot to moor at the end)
While we were trying to attempt mooring the couple on the other narrowboat returned from a walk down the unrestored canal to Pant. They said they were just leaving, so Neil cranked the lift bridge for them and we moored up on the end of the bridge waiting area. (18:15) That night was the time of the "disaster" curry..........Martin was too hungry / polite to refuse the Commode D' Or's dried up offering.

Wednesday 14th April 2004

Our "little walk" down the Mont to the next bridge got rather carried away and as usual, it ended up a route march to the top of the Carreghofa restored locks. Having returned at 15:00, we soon cast off, to go back up the Aston Locks to Queen's Head, wind, then back down again to Maesbury Visitor Moorings, right outside the Restaurant / pub "Navigation Inn" This expensive venue turned out to be rather good, 17.25 quid for two courses and 19.50 quid for three........we opted for the three!

Frankton Locks. Montgomery Canal.

Looking back up at Frankton Locks. Montgomery Canal.

Heath House Bridge No 74 and old SUCC warehouse.

Aston Locks. Montgomery Canal.

Montgomery Canal.

Looking back at Aston Locks. Montgomery Canal.

Red Bridge No 77. Montgomery Canal.

Park Mill Bridge No 78. Montgomery Canal.

Restored run-off weir. Montgomery Canal.

Maesbury Marsh. Montgomery Canal.

Maesbury Marsh Bridge No 79 and the Navigation Inn. Montgomery Canal.

Maesbury Marsh Bridge No 79, wharf and the Navigation Inn. Montgomery Canal.

Spiggots Bridge No 80. Montgomery Canal.

Looking back at Spiggots Bridge No 80. Montgomery Canal.

The now unusable winding point and new Crofts Mill Lift Bridge No 81. Montgomery Canal.

The final winding point at Maesbury Cruisers wharf. Montgomery Canal.

Maesbury Cruisers from Gronwyn Bridge No 82 - canal dry from this point. Montgomery Canal.

NB Earnest winding. Montgomery Canal.

Crofts Mill Lift Bridge No 81. Montgomery Canal.

Pictures of the return leg of our walk on the un-restored section of the Montgomery Canal - Carreghofa to Maesbury Marsh.

Carreghofa Locks. The Tanant Feeder comes in from the right, maintaining this section at navigable height.

Carreghofa Locks.

Bridge No 94.

The channel to the left was the temporary cut by-passing the canal, when the "new" railway aqueduct was built!

Aqueduct 93 A over abandoned railway.

The other temporary cut to the right.

Bridge No 93.

The road has been dropped the other side of Bridge No 93.

Bridge No 93 and the dropped road.

Llanymynech.

The A 483 Bridge No 92 in Llanymynech. This is intact, but the weak pre-stressed concrete beams are supported by timber bulks.

The A 483 Bridge No 92 in Llanymynech. Northwards from here the water level is not quite at navigation height.

From the missing railway bridge 91 A, the canal was piped.

Looking back at missing railway bridge No 92 A.

Bridge No 91 in Pant.

Looking back at Bridge No 91 and the well prteserved lime kilns in Pant. This small section is in filled.

The dropped Railway Bridge No 90. No real problem as the line is abandoned.

Bridge No 88.

Looking back at Bridge No 88.

Bridge No 87.

Looking back at Bridge No 87.

Dropped Bridge No 86.

Looking back at dropped Bridge No 86.

Crickheath Wharf and Bridge No 85.

Looking back at Crickheath Bridge No 85.

This section of canal seems over-deep and in water, probably due to subsidence.

Pryles Bridge No 84.

Looking back at Pryles Bridge No 84.

The recently re-built Redwith Bridge No 83.

Looking back at Redwith Bridge No 83.

Morton Farm.

Gronwyn Bridge No 82, the present end of navigation.

The Tour Continues...

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