Montgomery Canal

0:01 We're just approaching Frankton Junction on the Lancockland Canal, and that's where the Montgomery Canal starts. So in just a few moments, I'll be making a right angle turn onto the Monty and mooring up at the top of Frankton Locks, which are the locks that take you down onto the canal. It's sunny. It's also rainy. There's been a very, very vivid rainbow off to my left in the past few minutes. Welcome to this edition of the Water Rd for the Montgomery Canal. Used to run for 33 miles across the English Welsh border but fell into disuse following a breach in 1936 and was officially abandoned in 1944.

1:02 Since the 1960s though there have been restoration efforts. Currently there are 8 navigable miles connected to the main system between Frankton Junction and Crickheath, and there are isolated sections half a mile at Lanimanek and 12 miles around Welshpool.

1:26 Right. So with Chris, one of the lot keepers at Frankton Locks, but I gather that you've been involved with the Montgomery Canal for decades. Oh, it's enough. That's a nasty rumour. Terrible, terrible. Yeah, Actually I have probably about 196869 when I first started to come down here with one of one of my pals who was from Shrewsbury. And yeah, we used to come down and camp and my dad had been in the RAF, so I got loads of RAF Grey paint and we used to paint the balance beam here at the top of Frankton.

1:56 And I know for a fact, because since then I've spoken to people who were working for British Waterways, as he was at the time, and saying that he used to come into work on a Monday and thought, well, let me next painted who's been working on Frankton. And nobody knew we'd been doing it. And it was us. And that was our little bit. And it was quite funny because we'd be there on our hands and knees. And then I said our callow youth and innocents say it was true. We're going to restore this canal. And people who come along there have been living down there all their lives and saying, what you doing?

2:21 And we're saying we're restoring the canal, so yeah, that's never going to happen. So yeah, five years we'll be through to Welshpool and 55 years later we're not even a third of the way there. So what was it like back then? Then? Was the whole canal derelict? Well, derelict in the sense that it was an abandoned waterway and it wasn't being used and, and nature had taken over and so it was still a canal and it was still a complete canal apart from the bridges that were down. But, you know, there were areas which were dry.

2:48 But, you know, we could see beyond that as people can today and we generally thought we could restore it in five years. That's how we felt about it. We were that enthusiastic as people are today that five years has become something more realistic. But it was, it was a, it was a canal. The fact there were no boats on it and it wasn't busy didn't matter. It was still a canal. It was an artery, you know, an umbilical cord between villages and towns, Welshpool and and mid Wales and the rest of the world.

3:15 So what sort of things were you doing back then then? Well, we were clearing out principally, we all were focused on locks clearly, because that was something that was practical there. You could see and we could paint, clear weeds and whatever. One particular thing that I remember was Danny Welshpool. We were working on a Sunday morning once and this was before the big dig. My friend and I were down up to our top of our wellies in mud. And I do vividly remember a pair of sort of like toe caps hanging over the edge and hearing voices.

3:46 And I heard this voice say it. And I said to me, and what are you young chaps doing today? You know? And I quick as a flash, using the vernacular, I looked up and said, well, we're clearing shit actually, but we're enjoying ourselves. And there was a bit of a ho ho, yes, ha, ha, hard stuff. And I subsequently learned that it was the Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire or whatever and and Prince Charles who was newly sort of installed as a president or patron of the canal. So I relate that story now.

4:14 I said, you didn't say. I said, well, we did. And and do you know what I think he laughed. And I think probably it probably helps helped him make him sort of passionate as as he is about it now still or the king. King is now of course. So today then, you're one of the lot keepers here at Franklin Locks and there is a strict limit on the number of boats that can go down. Isn't there? There is. I mean the we talk about the carrying capacity of this canal. The canal can't deal with more than about 12 boats in reality because of moorings, because of water, because of managing the whole process.

4:46 And so I as a lock keeper have to ensure we lock it up at night, top and bottom. But you have to book to go up and down and that is simply because of the, the canal cannot cope with any more. I mean there's 12 or 15 moorings, but if you've got 12 boats down there we've we've never done more than 17 in one operation in one day. I mean 24 is the capacity, but we've done 17. I think it was something like 7UP and 10 down or whatever. So we, we always know how many boats are down there as a lot keeper.

5:13 I mean, one of the things we do is with, I have a team about 7 or 8 volunteers who we couldn't function without. We, we look to make it a safe environment for them. But, but also we'd like to give added value. And quite literally, we, we get people coming through on boats. And you know, after the half an hour experience of going through the, the, the flight here at BOS Frankton, it's like losing a little friend that's like waving goodbye. And they really sort of, I will see you next year. Bye, bye.

5:37 Because we've given them that bit of information that they didn't know about. For instance, at Frankton, that's where George Formby used to come and do all his fishing at that cottage on the on the on the bridge. What? Yeah, Yeah. To get away from his wife, you know, and up on the hill that that hot cottage you see with a clock on it. Well, then Dayton used to come and spend all his summers and used to right there from there in the 50s. And they go, what? Now, that isn't immediately relevant to the canal, but it's relevant to their experience.

6:04 So anyone going down the locks at the moment, you've got what is it about 7 or 9 miles to to? 8 miles, yes, 8 miles to go and it's like everything else, you know you've got to the point at the end there and you want to go and do something, get a bit further. And that's what's happening now because the next point that people want to get to and we've got this bridge sorted out is it's Lani Manok. Of course once you get to Lani Manok, if you want, well they go on to Welshpool. So it's very important, it's very significant to in terms of attracting enthusiastic people and and people having an empathy with it all, whether it's investors or whatever can see that we are making genuine very professional sustainable progress in the restoration.

6:44 Because actually that the most recent opening was a couple of miles to Crick Heath, wasn't it? And then after that there's a couple of miles before you get to Animanic. That's that's being worked on at the moment. Yeah, yeah. So I, in my humble opinion, I, I, I think that it is very doable with this, if we are, as we are at the moment to get to Tani Monica within a couple of years. And that will be such a significant move. And I can't, I can't over over egg how attractive Tani Monica's in itself is.

7:12 And the, and the visitor centre's going there and run by volunteers. So we've got all this energy going into it.

7:21 So with Andrew and you've had your higher boat down on the Monty, what have you made of it? It's absolutely beautiful. It's the paradise that is nature paradise. I mean, it's so quiet compared to Llangollen, isn't it? No comparison. It's a shame about the PUBSA shop only opening like Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday so you if you come down you need to be well prepared. But I mean, it's quite a special canal though, isn't it? Absolutely. We'd be right down to the end where they've renewed it. Lovely big turning space super down there.

7:53 If you want to chill out, we this is the place to come. Because it's pretty remote, isn't it? Oh, can do remote. We've had no Wi-Fi, no fame for a couple of three days, which has been heaven. So, Pete, you've had a few days on the Monty. What have you made of it? It's been very nice, very tranquil, very pleasant. It's been a joy. So would you recommend it then? Absolutely. Yes, definitely. Any favourite bits? I very much enjoyed the the last bit at Crickheath Wharf and then walking down to see what the restoration is is up to because.

8:25 They've only got a couple of miles actually before it links up again. Haven't. They they have, but they've still got a lot of work to do and they've done Schoolhouse Bridge, but beyond that it's, you know, a lot of work to do. So tantalising though. Absolutely, but probably wouldn't, won't won't be finished for me to see it.

8:56 We're mooring at Crick Heath Bridge, the current end of the line, but you can walk the towpath of the next section and see the current restoration work that's being done by volunteers. You can see all the different stages as you progress. The first part's in water, the next bit's lined, then there's a cleared section before you get to a length where the channel is full of trees and bushes. Only then do you get to Hani Manek, where the next part is in water. To find out what's happening right now, I asked the head of the restoration group for an update.

9:29 Hello, I'm Tom Fulda, restoration project manager for the Shropshire Union Canal Society. For the last 20 years the focus has been on channel restoration in Shropshire, working towards the previously restored but isolated section at Hanamanuk. We call this the Shropshire Gap. The navigable section from Welsh Frampton on the Llangoflan Canal now comes as far as Crickheath Basin where you moored up. The last project that Society undertook to reach the basin at Crickheath was officially opened in June 2023.

10:07 The route runs over very challenging ground conditions. It's essentially a beat bog and required a very technical solution. The current project continues on from here. So from Bridge 85 at Crickheath past the newly rebuilt Schoolhouse Bridge to Bridge 87, which is Malthouse Bridge, and that's a total length of 1100 metres. We started in 2023 and have already completed 500 metres. This included restoring the historic Crickheath Wharf, which was the terminus for a horse drawn tramway from a limestone quarry a mile and a half away.

10:48 We've recently relocated our works compound from Crickheath to Schoolhouse Bridge and are now working in both directions from there. Fortunately the ground conditions are kind of here with no subsidence, but most of the route has required waterproofing. I expect we will be here for another three years or so and then we'll continue on towards Panten Chlanemannach. We've also just started clearance at Winewen beyond Malthouse Bridge. Winewen is a large basin and would be the site of the next winding hole.

11:22 So the shop for Gap is shrinking.

11:30 So I'm with Roy and we're at the Lanimanic Canal Wharf. And if I said that right? That's right, yeah. Just tell me a bit about the centre that you've got here. The boat is our main attraction and then the centre serves teas, coffees, ice creams and we've got other canal memorabilia. Oh, we've got a little exhibition. So we're at the, the part of the canal where it's sort of back in water after the, after the, the break in the canal. That's right, there's water all the way well to Newtown, really, but it's not navigable.

12:04 And you've got a trip boat and it it just does this little bit up and up and down here. Yes, yes, 1/2 hour trip children love it. They don't get bored do they? There's always something to say if it's only a more N or two. But you've had quite a difficult year this year because of the lack of. Water. Oh yes, yes, we had a bit of trouble last year, but nothing like this. We're completely just sitting on the bottom. So the two miles between here and where it's in water properly and navigable, Yeah.

12:38 How long do you think it's going to take them to sort that out? Well, they always see it 10 years, but they've been seeing 10 years for the last 10 years probably. I mean, they are making some good progress. Well, they are making really good progress. So are you hopeful that you'll see it all in water one day? I'm hoping I will see boats sailing past my garden. And that's all from the lovely Montgomery Canal and almost all for this series of The Water Rd. The podcast is produced and presented by me, Adam Porter.

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