fact file Monmouthshire & Brecon

Length under restoration: 15 miles Locks: 50 Date closed: 1930-1962

The Canal Camp project: repairs to the lock overflow bywash structure at Shop Lock, one of the Ty-Coch flight of locks.

Why? As part of the continuing restoration of the flight of nine locks, which saw a great deal of work during 2012-17 under the ‘Waterworks’ project involving Lottery funding and local authority support to provide training and work opportunities for local people.

Cwmcarn

Navigable to Brecon 35 miles

3 5 3

Five Locks

Cwmbran

Canal Camp site: Ty-Coch

4

Road built on canal line

New link proposed

Fourteen Locks CrumlinArm

Malpas

Newport River Usk

Original route through Newport obliterated

The wider picture: Following completion of restoration north of Five Locks some years ago the canal has been continuously navigable from there to Brecon and a popular but isolated 35 mile boating route. Restoration from Ty-Coch southwards to Malpas has also been completed, as has some work on the Crumlin Arm. By completing Ty-Coch Locks, the remaining unnavigable ‘missing link’ is reduced fur ther, improving the chances of attracting the support (and money) to deal with the tricky length in Cwmbran (which has been lost under a main road) and other serious blockages. This would create a 50-mile navigable route - and a new link to the Severn Estuary via the River Usk could mean that (for suitably seag oing craft) it would no longer be an isolated waterway in the car park.

One evening Dave drove us to Newport to see Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt. It’s about a bunch of assassins, and a snake, on a train. Believe it or not it’s a comedy. It soon became loudly obvious Zoe does not like snakes. We also had an evening trip to a local small brewery.

We finished work early on the Friday and Dave kindly drove us to the nearby Five Locks site. The lock gates warranted a double look: they’re fake concrete lock gates just holding the water back. They look like lock gates from a distance but close up the brutalism shows, as if Mussolini had built them!

Like many canals in this area, the canal was originally built as a freight transport route for coal to reach the Bristol Channel. We are now providing a very pleasant leisure route to the south of the new town of Cwmbran. Personally, as soon as I got home I put some vinyl on the turntable: Every Valley by Public Service Broadcasting.

Ian cooked the food and dishes included spaghetti bolognaise, salads and puddings such as Eton mess, as well as the usual fry ups for breakfast, and porridge to which our volunteer ‘X’ proved very partial, even eating it cold for lunch. Everyone kept asking for seconds.

Thanks for a great week to Dave ‘Evvo’ Evans the leader, Ian the cook, Pete, Rex, Rachel, Zoe, X and Andy.