The nearest canal to me is the Montgomery, and I wanted to cycle or walk its length, I started some years back, starting at Chirk, on the Llangollen canal which I found variable, some bits needed me to dismount, and some bits very good, however once on the Montgomery the tow path was good all the way to the Queens Head on the A5, continuing towards Welshpool my way was stopped due to work on the canal, around Maesbury Marsh.
I had also gone out from Welshpool towards Newtown to the Horseshoes inn and other direction to Arddleen where it goes under the A483, the stones got coarser as I got closer to Arddleen, but OK to ride on.
So today I decided to do the missing bit where the canal works had stopped me on the 30-9-2018, hard to believe it was nearly 4 years ago, the tow path had degraded a bit, but still good, until I got to site of the 2018 works, where the stones on tow path had not been compacted, even with my mountain bike I now use, not very easy going, however it seems they have not got that far, and found the canal blocked for boats
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and then dry, at which point the tow path started to have problems with tree roots, then came the stiles
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the e-bike is not light, and getting over two stiles was no fun, so when I reached a road
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I gave up, badge on stile
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says Main Route, would not want to try any other routes in Shropshire. The badge was on the stile.
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Map shows car as well as cycle I had realised the tow path was likely a problem in the direction of Newtown, but had thought it was OK other direction, seems only option is to walk the route.
I was inspired by your post to have a go at riding the Montgomery Canal from Newtown end in September this year. I had already ridden some of it (on a LWB recumbent) last year from Abermule to Newtown as part of a mini-tour. I'd hoped that the towpath of most of the rest of it would be equally as good. Due to the train times from Nantwich leaving me a bit shorter of time than I would have liked, I got off at Welshpool. I was using a Brompton this time. I have copied some of the "my ride today" which might be of interest to the canal minded.
After getting off the train I crossed over the bypass on the footbridge and came out at the North end of the old station building. I have seen the other side many times as I hurtled by on the road but I’ve not really seen it from the other side. Very conscious of time passing as I’d estimated an average of 10 mph including the road miles or about 6 hours to get back. I took some photos as best I could then pressed on West into the town centre expecting to get on to the Montgomery Canal in a short time. I came to a bridge with a turning to the left before it and there it was. Photo taken facing bridge 119 with an old wharf and canal buildings on the left which are now used as a museum. I took the photo then pressed on.
The towpath here is in very good condition which encouraged me to take a few photos as I thought I could make good time.
This canal has the unusual feature of being higher at each end than in the middle. It is more usual for canals to have their high point in the middle fed by a reservoir to make up for water lost through the use of the locks. The terminus in Newtown is built over. Parts of it are traceable as a grassy depression alongside the path with the odd isolated building. It becomes more identifiable as a canal, though shallow, from Newhouse Lock, a few miles outside Newtown. It can be used by canoeists though parts of it are either culverted under roads or under flattened bridges with little headroom. This state of affairs continues to Bridge 129 at Berriew, about 9 miles outside Newtown when it becomes a nominally navigable canal again. A lot of work took place in the 80s and 90s to reopen this stretch through Welspool in the expectation that it could be reconnected to the canal system sooner rather than later but this has not happened. Although there have been trip boats and hire boats based in Welshpool the canal has not had enough use to prevent it becoming silted and reedy. The towpath has been kept in very good condition, however.
The bridge numbers count down towards Ellesmere on the Llangollen Canal rather than to Frankton Junction which is where it joins the Llangollen Canal. Most of the mile posts are still in place with Lower Frankton on one side and Newtown on the other. Despite the good surface, I found the distance shrinking more slowly than I expected. There were parts where the pathside hedge had not been trimmed, forcing me to ride closer to the water than I would have liked. In others the surface material was of coarser gravel forcing me to slow down for the sake of the tyres.
The last lock descending was Bank Lock near bridge 109. Then followed the short lowest or sump level
After about 6 miles in an hour I photographed Burgedin Locks where the canal begins to climb again and stopped on a handy bench at about 12:15 to have a drink and a snack near Bridge 105.
The water level on the stretch above these locks was low, including the pound in between where the drying mud could be seen to be growing weeds.
The top lock was barriered off to stop people falling in. It was possible to see the horizontal sluice design used on this canal on the bottom below the circular winding wheel as there were stop boards upstream to hold the water back. Once I got going again in less than a quarter of a mile I came across the A483 crossing the canal on a flattened bridge.
Up to this point I would say you could ride a road bike on the towpath, from Newtown itself to this point near the village of Arddleen.The canal beyond was quite overgrown and I looked at the map and saw that it was either take my chances on the A483 to the next bridge with its fast and busy traffic or to possibly have to walk a lot of the towpath to that bridge. I waited for a gap in the traffic and pushed through the gate opposite. The towpath was no more than a footpath with a thick hedge to the right and tall water plants to the left. Although I rode where I could the path sloped to the left in many places and frequent tree roots caused the front wheel to veer off to the left. In the end I got off and walked. It was probably only about a mile and a quarter but it felt much further between bridges 103 and 102. I arrived at flattened Bridge 102 hot, sweaty and annoyed about the way time was flying by. The afternoon was warming up. Crossing the busy A483, at first I couldn’t find the access to the towpath again but when I did, found it was a decent gravel path. A diehard road rider mighr take on the A483 between these two bridges and continue along the towpath but on this fast stretch at this time of day the traffic was continuous. The hedge on the right was rather bushy but I could cope with that. It was becoming noticeable that some landowners kept their hedges trimmed while others did not. I plugged on, noticing again that there were a stretches of coarse surfacing where I had to slow down, then was able to speed up again. I continued in this manner and the gloomy mood left me. Reddish brown dragonflies were everywhere, with the occasional blue flash of a damselfly. There were many tiny birds darting about in the hedges and the reeds, possibly wrens. There were ducks, coots, and moorhens. Too much wildlife I thought, as a tiny fly got in my right ear, buzzing frantically as it tried to get out. I managed to dislodge it with my finger, luckily not pushing it further in or ending up in the canal. Water level still low, but no doubt plenty of mud.
The Offa’s Dyke Path uses this part of the towpath so it is in good condition. I came to the Vyrnwy Aqueduct which towers impressively over the landscape but the canal itself is contained within a pipe which carries the water over the River Vyrnwy. Then came the Carreghoffa Locks though with the water level being so low they weren’t in use. Next came another high aqueduct then just after bridge 93 the canal had its full depth of water again. At Bridge 92 came a “Welcome to England” sign which was ironic as in less than a mile the canal was no longer in water and the towpath deteriorated.
It was rideable to beyond bridge 90 where there are lime kilns which I stopped to take a picture of. The canal was a mass of brambles and weeds. How it could have become so spectacularly dry when a short distance away it was at its full level must be a sign of significant neglect, all the more so when one of the reasons for its existence stands reproachfully on the other side. This may be the stretch where a breach of the canal in 1936 gave the then LMS railway a reason to close the canal due to claiming that it was uneconomic to carry out the repairs.
I’d folded the rear wheel under so I could stand the bike up while I took the photo. When I flipped it out again I discovered that it had spat out the left rear brake block. I found it and slid it back in, making a mental note to glue or crimp it back in place when I got home. Meanwhile I’d have to keep an eye on it.
The towpath became a rough track through a wood with 100mm tree roots causing this cyclist at least to have to get off and push over them. The canal here looks more like an archeological than restoration project. Yet from time to time a mile post appeared which someone has been repainting.
To add to the misery, there are five motorcycle barriers with a stile. The first one has a narrow vertical slot which seems to have been designed by someone who might have known somebody who had once seen a picture of a bicycle. It was very narrow, and after removing the bag from the Brompton I was just able to to get it through with the bars at an uncomfortable angle. I then put the bag back on and continued. A small circular sign proclaimed “Shropshire Way Main Route”. There should have been another one with “Cyclists Not Welcome” on it.
There were another 4 of these, none of which had a slot so you had to take the bag off and lift the bike over. Even dogs got more consideration than cyclists as these had a lifting board so your pooch could walk through. There were no signs, and Pearson’s Canal Companion makes no mention of cyclists needing to take an alternative route, or offers any suggestions.
The last straw was a tall “kissing gate” after a bridge which wasn’t wide enough for a bike even on its back wheel. As I had no idea how many more barriers there might be after this I bumped up 5 steep steps to the road and followed my nose to where I thought the canal should be. What bliss to be on a smooth surface and flying along.
Fortunately I came across a canal bridge and went down a steep slope. There was some work going on between two bridges. The canal was drained, and had been worked on with the bottom being concreted then covered with some sort of paving material. The towpath was also being upgraded. I met a mountain biker who said he’d just come to have a look. He said the towpath was OK here, but I might struggle further on. I was willing to take that risk. The towpath was very good for quite a way, then was unmade with material in place but it hadn’t been tamped down. I got off and walked since I could see the next bridge. Another mountain biker came past and said “Hi” There was a dam of material in the waterway at the bridge and beyond that the water level was normal. The towpath was fine. A little later the first mountain biker passed me on his way back then turned off.
The towpath was much improved. I passed Crickheath then Maesbury where there were now boats. I felt more confident that the towpath would be good enough to make up some distance and time. Having got over what I thought was the worst, I sat on a bench and had a belated tea.
I carried on to Queens Head passing Aston Locks at a good pace but after bridge 76 I plunged into a path that was a thin brown line surrounded by vegetation.
This was becoming ridiculous again. I’m not George of the Jungle and I’m riding a folding bike, not a brushcutter. Pearson’s Canal Companion states that the towpath from here to Bridge 74 is “acceptable for cyclists”. Having already seen what this guide thinks is a route that doesn’t need any advisory notes but is almost impassable I turned off at the next bridge on to the road to Rednall then Lower Frankton in the hope that I would meet the canal before Frankton Junction. However I came out on the Llangollen Canal having travelled further than I thought and judging by the bridge numbers, close to Ellesmere. I cast about in the lanes as I was disappointed not to be able to see the junction but as I was nearly at Ellesmere I decided to carry on as I was way behind schedule. I’d intended to be home by now!
Confusingly, though I did not see a sign, the towpath crosses over to the other side at the point at which I turned off, (bridge 74) and my detour might have been unnecessary if it had left the undergrowth behind. Anyhow, hindsight is a wonderful thing but I was where I was so I continued to plod along. The towpath surface along the Llangollen Canal led to slow progress and I was beginning to wonder how long this was going to take when Ellesmere Yard appeared on the right. Soon afterwards there were moored boats and a high iron bridge appeared. The canal appeared to go straight on and a junction to the right seemed to be the way to the town centre. I was feeling a little disorientated but I climbed the steep ramp to the bridge only to meet an elderly chap on an electric mobility scooter coming the other way.
He stopped but seemed unable to get going again on the steep slope. I rode across the bridge, leaned the bike against the rail then went back to see if I could give him a push to get going. In the meantime he’d reversed back to the bottom of the slope to have another go. I apologised for stopping him and said I’d come back to give him a push. He said, “That’s OK, this just needs a run up to get up this slope.” I asked him if I was on the right route to the town centre and he said I was. He went on his way and I didn’t look at my map as I’d intended. I wanted to take the short canal spur to the town centre so I could take a photo of the bike with the well known building with “Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company” painted on the brickwork. I’d last seen it maybe 20 years ago when I hired a day boat from Trevor basin for a family trip, and before that in 1978 when me and a mate had hired a boat to “do” the Llangollen Canal. Just to get a sense of history as it was probably still the same while I’d grown older. In fact I was heading East along the Llangollen Canal. I passed under a bridge which was signposted to the town centre and various attractions by road. So what he thought I meant wasn’t actually what I thought I said. I should have included “by canal”. As I passed under the bridge I still thought I was going in the right direction. As I came to a bridge over the entrance to a marina and climbed over I was beginning to have doubts. Then again, perhaps this was relatively new. Boats were tied up alongside the canal, people were cooking their tea or walking back to their boats with shopping and takeaways. Local cyclists came and went.
I was convinced that I’d come too far despite only having visited Ellesmere by narrowboat on previous occasions. I saw what could only be the entrance to Ellesmere Tunnel in the distance and had the lightbulb moment that I needed to go back. Someone was walking in the opposite direction who didn’t look like a tourist so I asked him if there was a short route to the town centre. Is the world coming to an end? Is the Apocalypse looming? A bloke asks for directions
twice in one day? Getting a bit Biblical. Was I hallucinating due to low blood sugar? it would be nice to find a cafe and have something solid.
So, having found the town centre, though not via the canal, my route back was by road to Whitchurch, then as it was getting late and the night was pitch black, moonless and with no stars, managed to hop on a train to Nantwich. From there to home was almost magical, late at night, not a car seen for about an hour through the lanes with the sounds of the night and only my dynamo light for company. Once I got home and into bed I could hear the rain pouring down. I'd done just over 65 mileswith about 25 on the towpath. A very memorable day. What next? maybe Cwmbran to Brecon on the Monmouthshire Canal? The quest for Canal Knowledge is addictive.
and then dry, at which point the tow path started to have problems with tree roots, then came the stiles
the e-bike is not light, and getting over two stiles was no fun, so when I reached a road
I gave up, badge on stile
says Main Route, would not want to try any other routes in Shropshire. The badge was on the stile.
Map shows car as well as cycle I had realised the tow path was likely a problem in the direction of Newtown, but had thought it was OK other direction, seems only option is to walk the route.
