Montgomery canal

[Neil2]

I've walked down the canal from Frankton but though it might be fun to take the boat down this year. 

 

Does anyone have up to date info on the limit of navigation?

 

Has anyone done it recently?  If so what is the depth/weed like?

 

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Neil2 said:

I've walked down the canal from Frankton but though it might be fun to take the boat down this year. 

 

Does anyone have up to date info on the limit of navigation?

 

Has anyone done it recently?  If so what is the depth/weed like?

 

 

Not been down with the boat for a couple of years,but hoping to go this summer. Well worth visiting this beautiful canal in my opinion. Will be interested in any comments.

[Mal in Somerset]

We did the Montgomery Canal last year on the recommendation of Chris the lock keeper. He was working at Grindley Brook and approached us by saying " You are going down onto the Montgomery aren't you?" and gave us all the details!

 

You need to book passage through the locks in advance. The locks are open from 12 to 2 each day and you need to have booked by 10am on the day of travel, so you have to spend at least one night on the canal unless you turn around straight away at the arm before bridge 70.

 

Realistically you can get as far as just beyond Crofts Mill lift bridge 81 - the winding hole is at Gronwyn Wharf between Bridge 81 and 82 (not the arm immediately beyond bridge 81). It is navigable for a bit further but is very shallow and there is nowhere to turn. Whilst we were there a German couple didn't realise and a few walkers rescued them and hauled them back out. So in all it's about 7 miles and 5 locks each way (not counting Frankton locks) and is extremely rural with virtually no canal traffic.

 

There are pubs at Queens Head and Maesbury Marsh (The Navigation). The Queens Head was extremely busy and so we moved on to The Navigation, where we had a great evening with good food and beer and the owners were great fun - Just don't mention my piano playing!!! There is also a farm with a caravan and camping park with an excellent cafe just beyond bridge 80. 

 

Make sure you check opening times as nearly everything is closed early in the week with opening times increasing towards and over the weekend. Also we tried to get a pump out at the CRT sanitary point at Maesbury Marsh and it barely worked at all! 

 

Overall I would thoroughly recommend, particularly if you want to get off the Llangollen motorway for a couple of days!!

 

 

[john6767]

We did it a few years ago, it is a nice quiet break from the Llangollen.  We stopped at Queens head at lunch time on the way down, pub was nothing to speak of and of course a very busy road, so would not want to stop there overnight. The morrings at Measbury are fine and we had a very nice meal in the pub there.

[Neil2]

That's all useful stuff Mal/John, it looked very idyllic when we walked it a few years ago and I think we saw one boat.  For some reason my wife has a desire to do the Llangollen again next month so the Montgomery will be the perfect antidote. 

[Slim]

I last did it a couple of years ago. Most attractive canal I've come across. One word of warning, unless it's changed the Navigation pub is closed on a Mònday ??. Well worth phoning ahead to check. I was gutted, I was looking forward to a couple of pints when I was told this by a dog walker. Hw turned out to be the landlord. ? 

[Hartlebury lad]

The winding hole at the end isn't the easiest to use. A bit silty and sometimes craft on the wharf shrinking it, particularly on a breezy day. 

It's a lovely trip - pretty enough and traffic free - but decent moorings are not frequent. Little in the way of clear areas.

Some ingenuity needed, but i have to keep secrets secret! Either side of Maesbury bridge probably offers the best "proper" mooring. 

[Sea Dog]

I don't see what's so special.  The pub was shut, I've seen more wildlife in a tramp's vest and getting back out up the locks was complete fiasco. The rest was pretty ordinary, but perhaps I fell for the hype and was expecting too much.  I won't make the detour next time I'm passing but, fortunately for the Monty, lots of hugely more favourable opinions are available and I sincerely hope you have a fab time.

 

[Jonkx]

I went down it in 2017, limit of Navigation was just past Maesbury, after the lifting bridge. I really liked it. We just did two days, out and back. Booked passage on crt website. We had a good meal at the pub in Maesbury and enjoyed the ales too. 

[MtB]

22 hours ago, Neil2 said:

If so what is the depth/weed like?

 

Dunno about the depth of the canal, but I'd imagine you'd find some weed easily enough if you ask around.

 

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

39 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Dunno about the depth of the canal, but I'd imagine you'd find some weed easily enough if you ask around.

 

 

I thought the smell was familiar. Now we know why people say the Montgomery is so relaxed and laid back to cruise compared with the Llangollen.

<pedant> What we call the Montgomery canal is the Montgomery canal. What we call the Llangollen Canal is the Llangollen navigable feeder of the Montgomery canal beyond Frankton junction and the Montgomery Canal beforehand. </pedant>

 

Jen

[Guest]

If they still do the horse drawn boat trip at the end, then that is well worth a go. Very peaceful.

[Arthur Marshall]

7 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

I don't see what's so special.  The pub was shut, I've seen more wildlife in a tramp's vest and getting back out up the locks was complete fiasco. The rest was pretty ordinary, but perhaps I fell for the hype and was expecting too much.  I won't make the detour next time I'm passing but, fortunately for the Monty, lots of hugely more favourable opinions are available and I sincerely hope you have a fab time.

 

I agree. I went down last year. There's hardly anywhere to moor, it's busier than you think so even the few moorings there are are pretty full, it's so straight it's a pretty boring drive and there's no more wildlife than anywhere else. I went down twenty years ago and liked it, shan't bother again unless they get the whole thing connected. . Nicest bit was immediately below the locks. 

[Mac of Cygnet]

The Navigation at Maesbury does indeed take a 'long weekend' off, but if it's closed a 10 minute walk along the road brings you to the Original Ball, a very pleasant pub.

 

Oops! I've just found that it too is closed Mondays, but at least It'll get you a drink on a Sunday night or Tuesday lunchtime.  Does life come to a stop on Mondays in that area? The Mamas & Papas obviously knew about it.

Edited May 5, 2019 by Mac of Cygnet

[john6767]

30 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

The Navigation at Maesbury does indeed take a 'long weekend' off, but if it's closed a 10 minute walk along the road brings you to the Original Ball, a very pleasant pub.

 

Oops! I've just found that it too is closed Mondays, but at least It'll get you a drink on a Sunday night or Tuesday lunchtime.  Does life come to a stop on Mondays in that area? The Mamas & Papas obviously knew about it.

Boomtown Rats surely 

 

[Neil2]

"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down" Now it makes sense.

[Captain Pegg]

5 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

 

<pedant> What we call the Montgomery canal is the Montgomery canal. What we call the Llangollen Canal is the Llangollen navigable feeder of the Montgomery canal beyond Frankton junction and the Montgomery Canal beforehand. </pedant>

 

Jen

I thought both the Langollen and Montgomery Canal names were recent inventions. The western end of the modern Llangollen has it’s origins in the Ellesmere Canal and the section beyond Frankton was a navigable canal as part of that network until trade ceased and it was retained as a feeder. The connected section of what is now called the Montgomery Canal was merely a branch of the Ellesmere canal and all of it passed into the ownership of the Shropshire Union in 1846. Boat people referred to it as the “Welsh Canal” and I have census records for boat people born along it’s route that claim places that are and always have been in England as being Welsh. It seems there may have been some confusion about where the border actually was (it passes under Chirk aqueduct).

 

The Montgomeryshire Canal was the Welsh section of what is now called the Montgomery Canal but none of it is connected to the network at present.

 

JP

Edited May 5, 2019 by Captain Pegg

[Mac of Cygnet]

14 hours ago, john6767 said:

Boomtown Rats surely 

 

 

That neatly shows our relative ages!  Mamas & Papas 1966.  Boomtown Rats 1979

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by Mac of Cygnet

[Dave123]

On 05/05/2019 at 15:14, Arthur Marshall said:

I agree. I went down last year. There's hardly anywhere to moor, it's busier than you think so even the few moorings there are are pretty full, it's so straight it's a pretty boring drive and there's no more wildlife than anywhere else. I went down twenty years ago and liked it, shan't bother again unless they get the whole thing connected. . Nicest bit was immediately below the locks. 

Disagree....lots of mooring, in the long pounds between the Aston locks was particularly pretty and remote with armco. Or the basin below Frankton locks. With only 12? boats allowed on it at any time it can never be busy compared to other canals in the area...?

[Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, Dave123 said:

With only 12? boats allowed on it at any time...

I'm not sure only allowing 12 visiting boats down the locks is quite the same as there only being 12 boats mooring on the canal.  

[Timx]

On 5 May 2019 at 08:06, Sea Dog said:

I don't see what's so special.  The pub was shut, I've seen more wildlife in a tramp's vest and getting back out up the locks was complete fiasco. The rest was pretty ordinary, but perhaps I fell for the hype and was expecting too much.  I won't make the detour next time I'm passing but, fortunately for the Monty, lots of hugely more favourable opinions are available and I sincerely hope you have a fab time.

 

We went two weeks ago and Id agree with this quote above,we booked for two nights, but once down to the end changed our mind and came straight back out the next day. Had no trouble with  draught or weed, just a bit boring. Also there is no shop at the end as advertised in guide book. The pub at the end is good for beer and food, with friendly host.