Pontypool

This morning we moved all of 100 yard to Roadhouse Narrowboats pump-out point and Nigel was there spot on time to do the business so by about five past nine we were on our way leaving Gilwern for a second time, this time going south. The first thing I noticed was once through the bridge

without decapitating my self was the water was  much clearer and there were more plants growing in the canal. You soon come to a right angle bend where the canal goes under the new Top of the Valley dual carriageway, luckily its a very wide bridge as there is a boat moored under it.

I then had the first weed hatch moment of the trip with a load of bulrush roots round the prop and shaft, sorted in minutes, I didn’t even pull into the side.
he owner of this offside mooring has a very good collection of street furniture, I won't go into the legalities of their collection.

I can’t imagine this boat gets taken out very often, it wasn’t the only one we saw like that.

There were over a dozen Wilderness trail boats moored at Govilon Boat club amongst all the many cruisers.

I don’t know how frequently the busses run along this canal, but if you want one this is the place to stand.

With most of the full length of this canal effectively being on an embankment, its a contour canal hanging on the side of a mountain we only saw two stop gates that have seen any recent maintenance.

We passed this rather impressive building, it still has a davit hoist on the end, Llanfoist wharf.

Looking out across the valley we could see this row of spaced trees along the ridge. Sorry about the electric cable.

I didn’t realise that Wales also had little people who lived in the woods, I thought it was just the Irish?

I don’t know who, why or when these little figures were set out along the back of the towpath, but I like them. They are only tiny.

This is the only cutting we have been through on the full length of the canal, I know we haven‘t quite done it all yet but I don’t think there will be one now.

We were soon at Pontymolile Basin were we visited by car last week. Although its called a basin its actually a junction where the Pontnewynydd Arm of the Monmouthshire Canal use to go off.The

The white building use to the toll house and there is a gauging lock right outside it. This is just north of the old junction.

 

 

 

From here the canal runs along the back of terraced houses both sides of the canal and the only thing of real interest beside the weeds which was now slowing us down was this old chapel that has numerous plaques in the wall with names on them.

I have no idea about the doorway up in the air. From here it was only a few hundred yards to our mooring for the night, right outside The Open Hearth pub and as it was so close it would have been silly not to have checked out the beer and food.

Today’s Journey

16½ miles with no locks in 8½ hours

Gilwern

Well another meal last night in the Royal Oak, unfortunately they were fresh out of Faggots and they looked first class. This morning we were away just after 9am. planning to stop somewhere like Govilon. However that changed when Diana saw the loo tank light flash red, it went back to green but not good, so tomorrow morning we should be getting a pumpout.
CRT in these parts have a good stop plank racks, I am surprised they are not used elsewhere.

We managed to see a bit of wildlife today, first a black Mink and then a grass snake swimming along in the canal.

Soon we were at Ashford Tunnel and Diana managed to get a good photo of the roof dipping.

just after half way through after passing the single ventilation shaft.

Unfortunately we were unable to read the information plaque above the exit portal.

After leaving the tunnel and looking to the distance  towpath side there is rather a splendid building.

Another thing spotted out in the fields were these water main things, probably vents due to the pipe running up and down.

As we entered the tunnel there was a boat ahead of us almost ready to leave the far end, we slowly caught him up and for the final bit to the top of Llangynidr Locks we were traveling at tickover. At the locks there was one boat in the lock and we were the third in line waiting at the top. The boat ahead of us said we could pass them as they wanted to learn how the locks worked, (great I thought) however the Volockie showed them as he worked the boat ahead of them through, so we were third again. Thankfully they stopped for lunch below lock 4 and we were able to pass them. There were only 3 Volockies on the 5 locks by the time we went down and one was taking care of the boat ahead of us, so I ended up setting ahead while we waited.

As I said on the way up, these locks have to be left empty with the bottom gates open, I wonder how much water that wastes in 24 hours.

Just beside the towpath I spotted this boundary marker from when the canal was owned by the railway.

  Beyond the locks is another large property called Gliffaes Hotel I think it may be out of my price range. This as actually the other side of the river Usk         

Brecon Park Marina have a café on their premises, it even has a ferry to bring you over from the towpath.

This is probably the most photographed tree on the canal, I wonder how old it is?

I love seeing this sort of thing along the canal, makes me wonder about the people who do it.

Almost back at Gilwern they have the smartest picknick area I have come across, we went a short way passed in and after filling with water moored on the 2 day visitor moorings for the night, these were very convenient for the toilets in the service block, quite important when your loo tank indicator is on the point of turning red.

Today’s Journey

14 miles with 5 locks in 9½ hours

pencelli (again)

Well last night we had two good meals in The Royal Oak so we are back tonight.
Set off a little later this morning and actually picked a bad time, half an hour ether way would have been better. Just on the bend from our mooring is a staithe with slipway and winding hole, when we came back this afternoon there was a trailer full of canoes there.

Then the first obstacle of the day, a crank up lift bridge needing about 70 turns, we now had another hire boat right up our bum, so Diana lifted the bridge and they dropped it.

About half a mile passed this I could see something in the water ahead so pulled over as the hire boat behind came shooting round the bend. It turned out that a culvert under the canal is blocked so they are laying a big hose across the canal on the canal bed to pump the water around the obstruction. As you can see the canal is less than waist deep. Once they had got the hose to sink and a few sandbags on it we were on our way.

The other day I mentioned the weight limitation signs on bridges, this bridge still has both of its signs. The boat following is just the other side of the bridge after crawling all over my stern when I dropped to tick-over passed moored boats. You can just see his bows.

I think the poor chap with the strimmer had lost the will to live by here, his machine is laying on the bank and he had gone for a sit down.

I have no idea how large our water tank is on here but I bet we use 5Lt every time we flush the loo, I am glad I don’t have one of those toilets fitted on Harnser. Because of this we are topping the tank up every day, so as I pulled over the guy behind was away. Unfortunately there was another boat on the water point so I had to wait for him to finish.Behind the towpath is this iron, I would say paddle, that was part of the drainage system of the canal.

Full of water we were on our way, but 500 yards ahead is a lock and the boat ahead was in it. Now these locks take about 20 minutes to cycle and after he had ascended we had to turn it, not only that once we left we had to drain it again and leave the bottom doors open, so a good half hour. The lock is immediately after a road bridge, and it the walls of the bridge are these square holes. There is exactly the same for the full length of the tunnel we came through yesterday, so I am guessing they were to support the former to brick the arch of the roof on.

I am surprised the lock is not a SSSI with the amount of growth on the bottom gates.Its probably all that is holding the water in.

No more hold ups all the way into Brecon Basin passing this imposing building on the way with it’s central gable end pointing towards the canal which houses a large bell.

We also passed this tramway wagon from a quarry being pulled by a wooden horse.

 

There were two or three hire boats moored both in the main basin and just outside. There was one private boat moored slap bang central to one of these boxes and an electric hire boat just ahead of it, I hope his lead was long enough.

In the basin I spun the boat round, and I mean that, dead slow forward, tiller hard over and round she went, no three or thirty three point. The basin is , in my opinion, very attractive with the Theatre one side and cottages the other, there are day boats available for hire at the very end.

Just outside the basin is a row of new houses and they all have Swift Boxes built in, from what we observed the local Sparrows think they are ideal.

We were now retracing our steps, I timed how long it took us to do Brynich lock from the time we stopped above until the time we left, it was 18 minutes, going up takes longer. We then came to Brynich Aqueduct crossing the River Usk a modern concrete structure.

I think it was near here that I spotted what I think may be a mile post, I saw another earlier somewhere.

It has been an absolute cracking day weather wise, warm and clear, you could see for miles.

 

A little later at Stone House Bridge just before where the temporary pipe has been laid across the canal a Cambrian Cruiser hire boat who had just set off met a wide beam Cambrian Cruiser hire boat coming out of the bridge hole, to add the the problems there were two more Narrowboats right behind the wide beam, we just pulled in and held the boat on a rope until they sorted themselves out.

From here it was a short run through the windup bridge back to the Pencelli moorings, we had just tied up close in front of a boat that had left a git gap when 12 kids in canoes came by with one instructor he looked in total control coming almost up the back.

Now today we covered exactly the same ground in two direction, going up took exactly one hour more than coming back.

Today’s Journey

9½ miles with 2 locks in 7 hours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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