Montgomery Canal
Locks: 8
Bridges: 14
Tunnels: 0
The Llangollen continues northeast after the junction with the Montgomery Canal. If you’re considering going down the Montygomery, then be warned. If you thought the Llangollen Canal was peaceful, then be prepared for the blissful Monty, which travels southwest from Frankton Junction. Access to the canal is controlled (essentially limited to 12 boats a day) and you’ll need to call 48 hours ahead. To book a passage Monday-Friday, call 0303 040 4040, Option 3. If you are calling on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday, call 01606 786777, Option 8 (Anderton Boat Lift). You can only enter or leave the canal at Frankton Junction between 12 and 2 pm.
Definitely download a canal guide immediately before your trip and check for any stoppages at the Canal & River Trust website. On our trip we discovered the canal had only been reopened a few weeks before our arrival.
The first two locks form a staircase and you will need to check in with the lockkeeper, who may not be precisely on time (they don’t live on site). Two additional locks are just below the staircase. Again there’s not much else to say but relax. The canal has many several dead straight sections with nothing to see but farmland and orchids and birds, and if you’re extremely lucky a water vole. It’s dead quiet except for the putt-putt of your boat and very pretty.
Unfortunately the entire 33-mile length of the canal is not navigable. The top seven miles connects to the Llangollen but most of the middle of the canal is choked with vegetation, although this protects some rare varieties of plants and those water voles and river otters. Sections of the canal around Welshpool and Llanymynech are navigable but I don’t know of any boat hires on the canal. If you’d rented a bike you could explore much more of the Montgomery.
The Shropshire Union Canal Society has been steadily extending the navigable reaches of the canal but it’s slow going. Even in the restored upper seven miles you’ll see stretches where the canal banks are ill defined.
There are two inns on the upper stretch of the canal—the Queen’s Head and the Navigation Inn. By the way, always order the lamb (assuming you’re not a vegetarian) and anything involving potatoes and leeks. Be leery of burgers because some restaurants want to get fancy and introduce unnecessary spices and I can’t explain some of the food pairings we experienced along the canal, like lasagna and chips.
The next day (if you ventured onto the Monty because you have to spend a minimum 24 hours) you can continue on the Llangollen toward Ellesmere.