NB Ceilidh - Ship's Blog: 4th May 2013 - Ellesmere to Maesbury Marsh

We have to be at Frankton Locks at the junction of the Llangollen Canal and Montgomery Canal by 2pm. Our canal navigation software told us we were 1 hour 15 minutes away, so we should really be gone by 12.00 to be safe. We walked into Ellesmere from our mooring to do the weeks shopping at Tesco. That left time to visit the laundrette if we were fast, as we need to catch up on some washing. Returned to the boat and drove it down to the end of the Ellesmere arm to moor up, while Annie found the Launderette. She made it back to the boat and we managed to set off at 12.30 - arriving at Frankton with minutes to spare!

We were helped down the lock by the part-time lock keeper as the only boat entering the canal that day - then let loose on the 'Monty".

The Montgomery Canal originally ran 35 miles from Frankton to Newtown and it was abandoned during the war following a breach. Julie and I, with friends Paul and Marion visited the ruined Frankton locks when we did the Llangollen in the late 70s. I well recall the sorry state of the collapsed gates. Since then restoration has been taking place by the Waterways Recovery Group and the Shropshire Union Canal Society. The first 7 miles are now open to boat traffic - and it took us the rest of the day to get to the very end.

Much of the canal is an SSSI and you can see why! Little of the metal reinforced sides seen on many canals, but at the expense of being very narrow, shallow and weed filled. Nevertheless - gorgeous!

We did a 'self pump-out' of out waste tank when we stopped briefly at the sanitary station at Maesbury Marsh. This proved interesting and not a little messy. But we did wash the floor of the sanitary station after we had finished. We will gloss over just why we had to do this....

Turned the boat around at the furthest pont - Gronwyn Bridge and moored up outside the Canal Centre at Maesbury.