Railway rails on the canal system

On our walk along the Stratford-on-Avon Canal I noticed that the small replica mileposts installed by SONACS, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal Society, were often accompanied by upended lengths of rail. These are, I assume, the remnants of the original mileposts as erected by the Great Western Railway, which took over the canal in 1865. As I had my GPS device with me I looked about me at the quarter miles, and spotted more rails hidden in the undergrowth.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, which we walked a couple of years ago, has many similar pieces of rail, used there to denote the company's boundary.

This is the view from above...


... and from the side. This one is by the Nant Monasgin aqueduct.


And this is at Llangynidr top lock:


Railway rails are used on many canals at water level as reinforcement or protection on the approaches to bridge holes. I've just spent the last hour searching through my photos, but I can't find any examples.

(There must be a more elegant term than "railway rails" but I can't think what it is.)

Mon and Brec day four

Tuesday 8th April 2008

Pontymoile Basin to Cross Keys Bridge, Cwmbran (and to Newport)

We woke to a beautifully clear, frosty morning. Had breakfast then left the cottage to drive to Pontymoile Basin. Parked in small car park by the boat tearoom. John had coffee (instant, boo) and we bought three Welsh Cakes (£1). Started walking 10.15am.


Pontymoile toll cottage


Union Bridge 50


a Welshman's canalside home...


Cwmbran Tunnel north portal


Cwmbran Tunnel, south portal


end of navigation, Cross Keys Bridge, Pontnewydd

Spoke to several people on the way. The people are very chatty around here and sometimes it’s hard to get away! It took about an hour to walk to the end of the navigable canal. Went to The Cross Keys pub to use the loo and have coffee and hot chocolate. 50p each. Read and signed the pub’s visitors’ book for people who have got to the end of the navigation. OK, so we walked it, but we felt every bit as entitled to make an entry as all the boaters before us.


new moorings/marina under construction in Sebastopol


I read this first as "to be completed 1983" before realising it's actually Torfaen Borough Council


concrete lock "gates" on the Five Locks flight, Pontnewydd


locks converted to step weirs


just how many bollards do you need along a lock?


when you have common aims there are no boundaries...


...this bench by the derelict Mon and Brec Canal says it all


on an isolated length stands this restored lock. The top gate balance beam hinges out of the way of the towpath


a duck in its element


We continued walking down the unnavigable section. Immediately by the pub are the five locks. The chambers are intact, but have concrete lock ‘gates’. Some of the locks further down have been converted to step weirs. We looked for a pub for lunch in Cwmbran but found nothing suitable or open. It started to rain/hail a little. We ended up having lunch in Sainsbury’s cafe. John had a Mega Brunch; Jan had minced beef hotpot with vegetables. Then John set off on his bike to explore more of the canal while Jan went to the shops in the Cwmbran shopping centre and in the retail park opposite. I cycled by the derelict canal until I lost it amongst main roads. I'd been following Cycle Route 46, but towards the end it didn’t follow the canal. I arrived at River Usk near the railway bridge in Newport. The tide was out, revealing mud banks but I couldn’t see where the canal joined the river. I went to other side of the river by a road bridge and cycled up the left bank of the Usk but still I couldn’t see the canal entrance. So I returned to Sainsbury’s to call Jan on the walkie-talkie to say that I was just on the way to get the car. This I did, losing my way slightly a couple of times. When I got back to the car I had a quick tea and Welsh cake in the Marina Tea Room. Then I picked up Jan and we drove to Newport to see the Transporter Bridge. The notice indicated that the last crossing was at 1800, another ten minutes off, but all was locked up. Looked spectacular though. So we drove back, but went via Blaenafon to see the remains of the iron works. If we’d been earlier we could have looked round the site free. Then to Waitrose to get microwaveable tea, and back to the cottage.


Transporter Bridge, Newport


Transporter Bridge


Transporter Bridge


Blaenafon Iron Works


but back in Newport this looks more like a block of flats

Tomorrow we pack and drive home. Job done.

Mon and Brec day three (part 2)

Monday 7th April 2008

Goytre to Pontypool

After our lunch at the Waterside Inn tea room we continued our walk southwards along the towpath of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.


Saron's Bridge 74


Penroel Bridge 73


Park-y-Brain Upper Bridge 72


Park-y-Brain Lower Bridge 71


Birdspool Bridge 70 with heron taking off


Croes-y-Pant Bridge 68


Pentre Bridge 67


Mortimers Bridge 65


Mamhilad Bridge 63


there doesn't seem to be much left of this distance post


... compared with this one


High Bridge 62

At High Bridge 62 we walked into Mamhilad and had a look round the churchyard (the church itself was locked). According to Nicholson’s the large yew tree could be between two and three thousand years old. It didn’t look like it would last much longer as ivy had started to creep up some of the sections of the split trunk. Does ivy attack a dying tree, or is it that when ivy creeps up a tree that tree then dies?


according to Nicholson's this yew tree at Mamhilad Church is between 2000 and 3000 years old


Mamhilad Church


Keepers Bridge 59


Lower Wern Bridge 57


River Llwyd aqueduct


Toll Cottage and Pontymoile Bridge 52


Jockey Bridge 55

Back on the towpath. When we reached Jockey Bridge 56 we decided that after 9.5 miles it was time to retrieve the car. So Jan walked on to Pontymoile Basin and had hot chocolate and a Welsh Cake in the marina tea room, while John cycled back to Llanfoist. I left at 1630 and got to the car at 1715 (why had I parked up such a steep hill? It was hard work pushing the bike up!) Drove back to Bridge 56 and tried to find the basin by car and failed, so returned to Bridge 56 and cycled to the basin. Jan gave me a Welsh cake from the tea room (shut by now) which was excellent. I also ate my emergency marmalade sandwich (cycling that sort of distance makes me hungry!)


what happens if you go too fast round the roundabout

Then it was a case of back to Waitrose by car, then to the cottage, and eat. We both had spicy parsnip soup then I had the microwaved remains of Saturday’s curry - still very good - and Jan had half a chunky chicken-filled jacket potato with salad.

It is now almost 2200 and time for bed. We didn’t quite finish the navigable Mon and Brec canal, but just two miles to go. As we will have lots of spare time I’d like to carry on down the derelict line to Newport. We’ll see what Jan says!

Mon and Brec day three (part 1)

Monday 7th April 2008

Llanfoist to Goytre Wharf

Got up at 0700 but this time we didn’t start walking until 1015. Before that, though, we drove to Waitrose as I had noticed that the temperature gauge was reading high - and that no heat was coming from the heater matrix. At the petrol station I refilled the coolant, which had gone well below the minimum. I think the water pump is on the way out. With the coolant topped up we went into Abergavenny to buy an OS map of the last bit of the canal, then drove up a very steep hill just south of Llanfoist and parked by bridge 95. I got the bike out, and we recommenced our walk along the towpath.


Castle Lower Bridge 94


raised drain plug


aqueduct over tributary of Usk


Richard's Farm Bridge 93


Heol-Gerrig Bridge 92


Wooden Bridge 91


Morgan's Bridge 90


towpath work at Barn Bridge 89


Twyn-Glas Bridge 88


masonry work at Poplar Bridge 87


pumps at Ochran Turn Bridge 86


smoothing down the freshly applied clay ready for Terram bank stabilisation


bank stabilisation work on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal


honeycomb Terram is held in position on Terram mat by steel pins, then aggregate is poured on top


Terram's head office is conveniently just down the canal at Pontypool, but you can be sure the stuff wasn't transported by water!


Thimbles Bridge 85


Ty Coch bridge 84 - here we get the water back


stop planks hold back the canal under bridge 84


Beech Tree Bridge 83


Pwllrhwyaid Bridge 82


Llanover Bridge 81


CaraCruiser "Schizo"


CaraCruiser "Schizo"


Mount Pleasant Upper Bridge 80


Mount Pleasant Lower Bridge 79


aqueduct over tributary of Usk


Mill Turn Bridge 78


Preacher's Bridge 77


Lapstone Bridge 76


Jenkin Rosser's Bridge 75


Goytre limekilns


aqueduct, Goytre


Goytre, from the Waterside Inn Tea room

At Goytre Wharf we stopped for lunch in the Waterside Inn - sounds like a pub but is actually a tea room with a bar. The bar was closed. The tea room should have been closed too, as the advertised opening days were Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but they were doing something for someone with special needs so they opened for food. I had a breakfast fry-up; Jan had ham, egg and chips. With peas. Weather up to now had been the usual sunshine, and warmer than yesterday, but, while we were eating, it tried to snow. The sun came out when we did, and we carried on.