Canal Boat Mag - Sept 09
Canal Boat Cruise Guide – The Mon & Brec Canal
Time to rediscover the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, open again after the long closure and as beautiful as ever.
Text and pictures by Derek Pratt
Sometimes it’s called the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal; others use the old name of the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal; most people affectionately call it the ‘Mon & Brec’. But no matter what name you use, it is without doubt one of the most scenic canals in Britain, passing through the Brecon Beacons National Park and following the Valley of the River Usk for most of its 35 miles. For mile after mile the canal hugs the contours of the mountains as it follows one of the longest lock-free pounds in the country; its elevated position providing superlative views across the Usk towards the Black Mountains, and upwards to the wooded ridges above the canal.
 |
It’s a great waterway for anyone interested in wildlife because the wooded terrain is a paradise for many species of birds, while at dusk foxes and badgers can be seen on the towpath. On a recent visit in early June, the towpath was resplendent with wildflowers, while masses of white hawthorn flowers made the trees look as if they had been in a snowfall. There are only six locks on the navigable length and five of those are grouped together at Lloangynidr, but the canal doesn’t lack interesting waterways features: it has two tunnels, a fine aqueduct over the River Usk, many impressive embankments crossing deep ravines, and a selection of lift-bridges.
The southernmost few miles of what we now know as the Mon & Brec were actually part of the Monmouthshire Canal, opened in 1799 from Newport to Pontnewynydd above Pontypool. Then in 1812 the Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal was opened from a junction with the Monmouthshire at Pontymoile near Pontypool to Brecon.
 |
At first the canals were very successful, carrying huge tonnages of limestone, iron ore and coal from wharves all along the route a system of tramroads linked the canal to distant quarries, mines and ironworks – and many remains of these can still be seen today. But the canals lost most of their business to the railways by the 1860’s, and in 1880 were taken over by the Great Western Railway. Commercial carrying had completely ceased by the 1930’s, some sections were abandoned and the canal survived only as a water feeder from the Usk at Brecon. Total dereliction was prevented by the Inland Waterways Association which encouraged pleasure cruising where possible in the 1960’s. In 1970, the restoration of the lift bridge at Talybont completed the reopening of the canal from Brecon to Pontymoile Basin. Since 1984 the Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust has campaigned for the reopening of as much as possible of the abandoned sections, and in 1994 the culverted Crown Bridge at Sebastopol was reconstructed, allowing a further section to be opened to the top of Five Locks at Cwmbran. Further restoration has taken place between there and Newport and also on the Crumlin arm, but a great number of locks plus lowered bridges and infilled sections need to be rebuilt before the canal can again reach Newport and via the Crumlin Arm to Cwmcarn.
The Theatre Basin at Brecon provides an attractive staring point for a cruise or walk along the Mon & Brec. The tow is a thriving touring centre for the National Park and hosts an annual Jazz Festival featuring leading performers from all over the world. The Theatr Bycheiniog is a solar-powered theatre and arts venue with a quayside café. Trip Boat Dragonfly operates from outside the theatre where there are adequate moorings for visiting boats. A row of cottages and a stone bridge complete the scene.
 |
The first mile of the canal gives little clue to the glories that lie beyond, but once past the bypass bridge things start to open up. Brynich Lock has an attractive setting and is the only single lock on the canal. Immediately below the lock the canal takes a sharp right-hand bend and crosses the four-arched Brynich Aqueduct. Stop awhile to admire the scenery and hopefully you may see a kingfisher or a dipper fishing below on the River Usk. After a mile the canal bends to the left at Cambrian Cruiser’s Ty Newydd Marina and then turns again towards Llanfrynach. The mountain views are superb and the route is punctuated by a series of pretty stone bridges.
Soon we met our first lift-bridge, by a farm, as the canal enters Pencelli with its handy canalside pub. The next section by Cross Oak features a whole series of these lift-bridges (or drawbridges as they are know in this part of the world). If they are already raised, boaters should leave them in that position because they are preventing livestock from straying.
 |
Talybont has several excellent canalside pubs and rather more substantial lift-bridge carrying a road: this is set so it cannot be operated for two periods a day during school arrivals and departures. There is a useful general store and post office below the embanked canal at Talybont, which is popular as a centre for many outdoor activities including walks along the old tramroads. Ashford Tunnel is 375 yards long and has a dip in the middle so boaters should clear their cabin tops before entering. The canal continues its course around the flank of the steep hills to the five locks at Llangynidr. The locks are beautifully set in woodland and there is a welcome pub with restaurant close to the bottom lock. After visiting the pub, take a short walk and look at the fine stone bridge over the River Usk. Your windlass can now be stored away as it will not be needed again: the canal follows the level contour all the way to Cwmbran.
 |
Canal, river and road share a narrow valley for four miles to Llangattock. Some of the bridges are low and care should be taken by boaters – best not to sit on the cabin roof. At Llangattock Wharf there are boat club moorings by a series of old lime kilns that give a clue to this apparently rural canal’s industrial past. This is a good place to visit the village and maybe cross the bridge over the Usk to Crickhowell. Energetic folk can follow the tramway path from Llanattock Wharf up to Craig y Ciulau nature reserve, high on the Llangattock escarpment. There are fine views over the Usk Valley to the flat-topped Table Mountain behind Crickhowell.
About a mile from Llangattock Wharf we pass the beautifully situated new Heron’s Rest Marina, then two more miles of wooded waterway bring us to Gilwern where the canal crosses Clydach Gorge on a massive embankment. Gilwern has pubs, boatyards and shops all conveniently close by the canal bridge. Main roads make it a noisy place at times, although trees obscure most of the traffic.
Leaving Gilwern, the canal has to negotiate a tight bend to pass under the Heads of the Valley Roads – but nothing like as tight as it was before the bridge was rebuilt a couple of years ago, when it used to limit the size of boats that could use the canal.
 |
Govilon, at the foot of the Blorenge mountain, has moorings, a boat club and British Waterways Offices attractively situated in an old warehouse.
One of the most enchanting places on the entire waterways system is Llanfoist. The wharf cottage and quayside buildings stand b a bend in the canal backed by the steep wooded Blorenge mountain. There are superb views of the Usk Valley and the Black Mountains. The wharf is now home to Beacon Park Boats with hire craft and facilities for visiting boats. It is hard to believe this idyllic spot was once a scene of intense industrial activity. The tramroad that once linked Hill’s ironworks at Blaenovan with the canal can still be followed via a narrow tunnel under the canal. The canal’s elevated position in this area, although one of its great attractions, has also made it vulnerable to breaches dating right back to 1812. A serious collapse in 1975 shut the canal for a decade before funds could be found to replace it; another followed in 2007 and the canal only re-opened earlier this year.
Llanfoist is the nearest point on the canal to Abergavenny which is certainly worth a visit. There is a bus service into the tow from Llanfoist village. The canal continues on its loft route hugging the wooded slopes of Blorenge mountain with occasional views of the Usk Valley through breaks in the trees. At Ochran Turn the canal twists through an exaggerated U-bend before resuming its southerly course to Llanover. The scenery is superb throughout with views of sheep-studded hills stretching steeply from the offside of the canal. The views of the Sugar Loaf peak and its neighbouring mountains are particularly good from Bridge 80 at Llanover. At Mill Turn, the canal bends sharply to the east before continuing its course to Goytre Wharf.
 |
There is so much to see at Goytre Wharf that it is well worth stopping and spending some time exploring the area. Goytre Wharf Heritage, Activity & Study Centre is full of information about the canal and Goytre’s role in its industrial heyday. There is a shop, bar and café, Red Line Boats have their boatyard and hire base here and there is a marina surrounded by woodland. Restored limekilns and original wharf buildings have information boards to explain their role in the canal’s history. There are woodland walks with way marked trails and for those exploring the canal by road there is a large car park.
Once again the canal twists and turns on a series of serpentine bends as it approaches Mamhilad. The mountain views between Bridges 65 and 63 are superb and the village with its pub can be reached from Bridge 62. The canal now approaches Pontypool, and for the first time since leaving Brecon some modern industry can be seen. Pontymoile Basin is where the Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal ended; our route beyond follows what was originally the Monmouthshire Canal leading to Newport.
Today, Pontymoile Basin is a lively spot next to a busy main road, with moorings and a café by the toll house and the site of the stop lock where boats’ cargoes were once gauged and tolls charged as they passed from one canal to the other. Pontypool tow centre is about a mile from the basin and can be reached via Pontypool Park. Until recently the southern navigable limit of the canal was just beyond Pontymoile, but in recent years it has been extended southerwards although the restored section can be shallow in places.
The canal passes through Griffithstwon and Sebasopol, whose urban setting contrasts with the rural splendours we have behind – but which has the consolation of some good waterside pubs. We pass Crown Bridge at Sebastopol and the short tunnel at Cwmbran. The present limit of navigation is where the long level pound comes to an end and the steep descent to Newport starts at Five Locks.
Moorings and a turning point are provided, but on a recent visit there were no boats to be seen. May6be boaters are reluctant to leave the glorious national park behind them – let us hope that the locks down to Newport and up the Crumlin Arm to Cwmcarn can be restored, and provide more cruising to tempt the adventurous boater.
