10 boats a day on stretch of shropshire union canal?

[isatis]

The Canoe leader at our local outdoor activity centre has informed me that we may do a days canoeing on the Shropshire Union

I queried it as the idea of taking 10 beginners on a canal at this ltime of year seems bonkers ! but i was assured that on this stretch only 10 or so boats were allowed each day !

I can not find any reference to it, so coming to the founts of all knowledge.

[Paul C]

Which stretch?

 

Are you sure you didn't misinterpret what he said, to mean they took a max. of 10 canoes out per day on the Shroppie?

 

There are no restrictions on almost all of the Shroppie, and that's if you include the Montgomery canal as a branch of it - which is the only bit I can think of in the locality, which DOES have limits. I know the approx boat movements through Bunbury locks per day, but this is of course only one part of a long canal, so can't be indicative of anything except that section (some of the boats will be to-from Anglo Welsh's base, which is just below it, and there's winding holes just before and after the lock; and Barbridge junction less than an hour away; then another hire base in Beeston etc.).

[b0atman]

Which stretch ?

[dor]

The Shroppie west of Barbridge is pretty quiet, but this time of year I would expect more than 10 boats in a day, but perhaps not in midweek. I was only talking this morning to someone who lives on the Wardle stretch who commented that they thought it had been much quieter this year.

 

The Montgomery is probably nearer the mark at having 10 boats a day. I was at my boat near Nantwich on Monday morning and there must have been about 20 boats in just 2 hours or less; only one or two being hire boats and only one of the working boats from Audlem.

 

Perhaps the surprising one was at Grindley Brook last Friday. A total of 19 boats passed through the locks between 8:30am and 5pm.

 

It depends so much on when and where - it does get nice and quiet in the middle of winter!

[muddywaters]

Which stretch?

 

Are you sure you didn't misinterpret what he said, to mean they took a max. of 10 canoes out per day on the Shroppie?

 

There are no restrictions on almost all of the Shroppie, and that's if you include the Montgomery canal as a branch of it - which is the only bit I can think of in the locality, which DOES have limits. I know the approx boat movements through Bunbury locks per day, but this is of course only one part of a long canal, so can't be indicative of anything except that section (some of the boats will be to-from Anglo Welsh's base, which is just below it, and there's winding holes just before and after the lock; and Barbridge junction less than an hour away; then another hire base in Beeston etc.).

This is what I was going to suggest, had he got the Monty mixed up with the Shroppie.

They are pretty close to each other

[RLWP]

 

The Montgomery is probably nearer the mark at having 10 boats a day.

 

Now, I wonder if that is actually the accurate answer. I believe that the Montgomeryshire canal became part of the Shropshire Union (like the Llangollen did), and there is a restriction on the number of boats using the locks to descend to it

 

Richard

[isatis]

We are going canoeing the kids will receive an ocn qualification for canoeing after two days, it would need to be within reasonable reach of Wrexham and I am just confused.

now I look that makes more sense and oswestry is only 15 miles away from wrexham

[isatis]

This is what I was going to suggest, had he got the Monty mixed up with the Shroppie.

They are pretty close to each other

 

 

Now, I wonder if that is actually the accurate answer. I believe that the Montgomeryshire canal became part of the Shropshire Union (like the Llangollen did), and there is a restriction on the number of boats using the locks to descend to it

 

Richard

Yup I think you must have the answers thank you

[Paul C]

We are going canoeing the kids will receive an ocn qualification for canoeing after two days, it would need to be within reasonable reach of Wrexham and I am just confused.

now I look that makes more sense and oswestry is only 15 miles away from wrexham

 

Sounds like the canoe/outdoor centre at Maesbury, which is on the Montgomery canal; and that the Monty is restricted to 12 boats on/12 off per day at Frankton locks (but they rarely have 12 on a day, in my experience even on busy days its up to about 10, and on quiet days 'in season' can be 2-3. Winter time, I guess its MUCH less).

 

http://www.canalcentral.co.uk/canal-central-shropshire.html

 

The Monty is indeed historically (and still is) part of the Shropshire Union canal (and so is the Llangollen) but is normally referred to by its own name.

[isatis]

No its the Wrexham Outdoor center at Nantyr I am a youth worker so we work quite closely with them have taken kids canoeing before with them on the Llangollen as far as the Pontcysyllte aquaduct and even over it once in the autumn from the Llan end, down the Dee from Holt/Farndon to nearly Chester and Bala lake, but never this run before so we will see what the weather is on Monday /Tuesday and where we end up.

Thank you all

[Paul C]

No its the Wrexham Outdoor center at Nantyr I am a youth worker so we work quite closely with them have taken kids canoeing before with them on the Llangollen as far as the Pontcysyllte aquaduct and even over it once in the autumn from the Llan end, down the Dee from Holt/Farndon to nearly Chester and Bala lake, but never this run before so we will see what the weather is on Monday /Tuesday and where we end up.

Thank you all

 

In that case, the question still remains - where are they doing the canoeing? I've just looked at Google maps and Nantyr is no where near the canal, at least a couple of miles from the nearest point. It is near the River Tierw though.

[The Toad in the Hole]

 

In that case, the question still remains - where are they doing the canoeing? I've just looked at Google maps and Nantyr is no where near the canal, at least a couple of miles from the nearest point. It is near the River Tierw though.

At a guess, they'll pile in a minibus and drive to the put in point. I've met youth groups on the Monty on occasion, so that would be my best bet (though I did meet a group (with lights and lookouts etc) coming out of one of the Chirk tunnels once - tell truth, I was a bit jealous as as it looked like fun)

[Tim Lewis]

The only limit in boats is on navigable section of the Montgomery canal through Frankton locks, the current limit is 12 boats each way per day. The mont is very popular with canoeists, there is a canoe centre at Queens Head.

 

Tim

[David Mack]

According to the CRT Annual Lockage Report there were 6642 'lockages' through Hurleston Lock 1 and 8255 lockages through New Marton in 2013, so that equates to a lot more than 10 a day in the height of the season.

 

For the Mont it was 1256 lockages at Aston.

[Hartlebury lad]

I am always delighted to see small groups of young people out enjoying the canals - in canoes or otherwise - but one "incident" worried me about canoes on the Llangollen/Monty.

 

This narrow canal is so busy in season - particularly around Trevor and Pontcysyllte, and I once witnessed a group of about 7 youngsters with a keen instructor (highly respected according to one local onlooker) - in serious danger of getting crushed at Trevor as they hugged the side of the canal. Busy junction off the aqueduct, lots of onlookers, and general high season hirer mayhem made a worrying spectacle. My overriding thought was if that was one of my kids or grandchildren in one of those canoes, I would be very worried.

 

I am not a pc health and safety obsessed fella, but a background in Mountain Leadership taught me to always consider the risks and what would be the worst that could happen and could i have a plan of action if the worst happened? Is there a safe allowance that could be allocated to the possibility a careless boater sideswiping a canoe with a 15 tonne boat in a narrow channel. Only one loser there.

 

A great attraction for the canoeists, but how do you balance or justify the risk element?

Edited July 30, 2014 by Hartlebury lad

[Andy Healey]

We went down the Monty in May, there was the full quota of boats going down and up Frankton locks then, Frankton Junction was chocca with boats, as it was last week when we passed on the way to Llangollen. Going back to May we thought it was a stupid booking system, all the boats told to turn up at 11am, thus overloading the junction and the locks, we did not go down till about 2pm. The lockie told us she was there for most of the day therefore the bookings could be spread out in spring/summer and in winter have the restricted opening hours. It was noticeable in May that the Monty is now been well used by hirers now. We did see the canoe centre at Maesbury and there where a few canoes out, well sheparded by the leaders.

[Dave_P]

We went down the Monty in May, there was the full quota of boats going down and up Frankton locks then, Frankton Junction was chocca with boats, as it was last week when we passed on the way to Llangollen. Going back to May we thought it was a stupid booking system, all the boats told to turn up at 11am, thus overloading the junction and the locks, we did not go down till about 2pm. The lockie told us she was there for most of the day therefore the bookings could be spread out in spring/summer and in winter have the restricted opening hours. It was noticeable in May that the Monty is now been well used by hirers now. We did see the canoe centre at Maesbury and there where a few canoes out, well sheparded by the leaders.

Exactly my thoughts. Amy is there all day, so why not stagger the boats through the whole day?

[carpet wallah]

Exactly my thoughts. Amy is there all day, so why not stagger the boats through the whole day?

Water saving, possibly. If boats start from top and bottom at midday, more chance of one up, one down, less boatless locks being emptied into the Monty, more water into Hurleston Reservoir.

[Paul C]

Exactly my thoughts. Amy is there all day, so why not stagger the boats through the whole day?

 

They do. The operating hours of the lock are loosely defined as 10am-2pm but if there's booked boats waiting, they'll be guaranteed through so long as they arrive by 2pm. The staff have been known to be there locking boats through until 6pm, and 10am to 6pm sounds like a reasonable "day" of working locks.

 

THere is space for 12 boats waiting at Frankton Jn if people breast up and are sensible about it.

[Philip]

South of Audlem I'm guessing it's a fair bit quieter than the section between there and Barbridge? It definitely feels quieter once you reach the southern reaches around Gnosall and Brewood.

[isatis]

We are starting from the Queens Head on the Monty it appears to be fairly quiet in that area

I am really looking forward to it.

So I better shift.

[cotswoldsman]

We are starting from the Queens Head on the Monty it appears to be fairly quiet in that area

I am really looking forward to it.

So I better shift.

Have a good day looks like the weather should hold for you

[PeterScott]

On Wed4June, a mostly-wet day, northbound from Br16 on SU, we travelled for 9hrs45mins (0745-1730) and passed 32 (southbound-) moving boats and we stopped at the top of Audlem: the next day (dry and warm) we travelled for a further 11hrs10mins (0820-1930) to Middlewich and passed another 43 moving boats.

 

Of course by moving northwards we will pass approximately twice the number of boats that would be seen by a stationery observer (and we only count boats while we are moving). If the canal had an equal number of boats travelling in each direction, then that stationery observer might see a total number of moving boats similar to the number we passed while moving.

[isatis]

Absolutely beautiful from Queens head to the frankton junction stunning passed two boats explored the little spur that was the transhipment basin and bone works very over grown with trees reedsand duckweed,then on to frankton junction loads of dragonflies and demoiselles and beetles whole thing stunning could and will do it all again one day

Also saw a guy who looked like he was checking for boats out staying welcome in the area police style waistcoat and tablet style computer

Walking the towpath!!?

Edited August 4, 2014 by isatis