Montgomery Canal at Little Frankton

The Montgomery canal runs through Powys, Wales and Shropshire, England. For 130 years it was a working canal that ran from Frankton to Newton. Then it lay abandoned and overgrown for 30 years. It has taken 40 years of hard work to restore half of it back into being navigable. It now is open for 36 miles from its junction with the Llangollen canal at Welsh Frankton to Newtown, Powys.

One navigable restored section is between Frankton Locks and Redwith (open and navigable as far as Gronwen Wharf). The other is between Arddleen and Berriew. The unrestored and part-restored sections cover the rest of the canal between its junction with the mainline at Frankton Locks and its original destination of Newtown.

The canal is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for over half its length. Guilsfield Arm Nature Reserve is found here as is Aston Locks Nature Reserve. One area, located in Wales, is noted for its rare aquatic plants. Insects found here include 14 species of damselflies and dragonflies. Birds and plants like the waterway banks and hedgerows while fish flourish in the waters. Over 100 bird species have been spotted including swans, kingfishers, reed buntings, pied wagtails, sedge warblers, whitethroats, rock jackdaws, peregrine falcon, buzzards, sparrow hawk, and snipe.

127 listed structures are found along the waterway. These include the Vyrnwy aqueduct, lock paddle mechanisms, and corrugated iron warehouses.

There are picnic sites along the canal’s length. The waterway provides opportunities for canoeing, cycling, walking, and angling.

Montgomery Canal

The canal can be accessed at either end or along the way.

Photos © by Barbara Ballard and are of the Frankton area of the canal.
For photos of the other areas of the canal go to Pete’s Montgomery Canal website

All photos copyright by Barbara Ballard