Down the Mongomery Canal

 

Perry Aqueduct

Red Bridge

Unnamed bridge on narrow section of canal

 It was raining heavily when we awoke and so we didnt leave our mooring until 10:30.  Before setting off down the canal we pushed the boat over to ther other side of the Weston Arm where water taps were available.  Having filled up we went on our way down the Montgomery Canal through the Graham Palmer Lock.  This was a new lock built as part of the restoration as a small adjustment of the original water levels was found to be necessary.  It is named in memory of Graham Palmer, the founder of IWA's Waterways Recovery Group which did much of the work for the initial restoration.

This was followed by a 3 mile stretch of mainly straight sections of canal to the small village of Queens Head, named after the local pub.   The journey was slow as there is a speed limit of 3 mph, which in any case would be difficult to achieve because the waterway is fairly shallow and is narrow in places.  The canal is very attractive with wooded banks, nearby grassy fields and distant vews of the Welsh hills and very peaceful as there are fewer than 10 visiting boats on the whole canal.  The last and only time we ventured down the Montgomery Canal was over 10 years ago.  At that time Queens Head was the end of navigation,  since then restoration has been completed on the next 2.5 miles.

Going into new terroritory, we descended the 3 Aston Locks.  At the last one we met some CRT workmen who were carrying out repairs.  One of the lock walls was leaking and water had excavated a large void from behind the wall.  After patching the wall the workmen were using a small digger to fill the void with clay some of which had been transported to the site down the canal.  From Queens Head the speed limit is reduced to 2 mph, which is as slow as Densie can manage keeping in gear.

We have moored for the night just beyond the small village of Maesbury Marsh, a few hundred yards before the current limit of navigation.