Bye bye Gilwern Countess

 Saturday 13th July 2024

We were awake bright and early to get all our belongings packed, load the car and say farewell to Nigel and Sally who run Roadhouse Narrowboats. We have enjoyed our week re-visiting the Mon and Brec canal.

It's our first session of canal boating since parting with Jannock and time spent on a hire boat soon focuses your thoughts on how comfortable we had made our own boat over the 23 years that we owned her. It's amazing what bits you miss when they're gone. 

Leaving Gilwern, we made our way to Pontypool park in order to visit the Shell Grotto, however we couldn't find it due to a 'family fun day' that was occuring in the park that took our attention instead. There was a parade lead by a Samba band and lots of stalls representing either things to do for children or local charities raising awareness or funds or both.

 

Having purchased our lunch and had a cup of tea, we left the park and drove down to Newport to see the transporter bridge. Unfortunately that is undergoing restoration at present and so both the bridge and the visitor centre are closed. We ate our lunch in the car with a view of the bridge and then drove home.

G&B

Mon & Brec - Day #7

 

Friday 12th July 2024

We planned a late start today, but a red alarm on the loo meant that we needed to return to base to get a pump-out, otherwise staying over on the boat ready for going home tomorrow may be difficult. We had always planned to be back at base for this evening so that it would be easier to vacate by 09:30 tomorrow. 

 

Consequently Graham set off at 09:30 this morning and we made our way past Goytre wharf, skirted around Llanfoist and Govilon , to arrive at Gilwern at 2pm – our pre-arranged pump-out time.The initial drizzle improved steadily so that it was nice and sunny when we finally arrived at Gilwern wharf and got pumped out.

 

With the loo now fully use-able again we then set off South towards Llangattock until we turned at the winding point just after bridge 107. During this part of the day’s journey we spotted evidence of the Beale Park woodpecker. We thought this bird was extinct but it appears that it is now living in Wales. If you are not sure what the Beale Park woodpecker is please visit www.jannock.org.uk/2003.html and read IWF2003 (about two thirds down the page)

 

We winded and then returned North past the Gilwern hire base in order to turn again so that we could end our trip in Countess’ designated mooring pointing the right way for turn round tomorrow.

A tidy up, some packing and a fish and chip supper are planned for tonight. We are also moored behind a Felinfoel pub so a pint from there might be on the cards as well.

G&B

Mon & Brec - day #6

 

Thursday 11th July 2024

After a very quiet night on a peaceful mooring, unusual for being moored right outside a pub, we set off at 10am to make out way to the very end of the canal. We struggled through the abundant weed, past the newly built but un-used marina, and down to the 5 locks basin which is now the limit of navigation.

 

When we last did this canal in 1980, the limit of navigation was Pontymoile basin and so we have now completed just over 2 miles (each way) of completely new canal to us. Once tied up in the basin, we walked down the abandoned locks, accompanied by a Kingfisher which we disturbed at the second lock (61). We continued past the flight of five ex-locks but then turned to return to the boat at the top lock of the next flight. We met a lovely local couple who told us a lot about the local area whilst their impatient dog waited to continue his walk.

 

 

Back on the Countess, we set off again through the shallow weedy waters, and Cwmbran tunnel back to Pontymoile basin where we stopped in the gauging lock to fill our water tank. Then continued North past Mamhilad and Penperlleni until we moored for the night just before Goytre wharf at 4:15pm.

 

Before dinner we took a walk around the wharf ‘heritage’ area as a recce for a possible visit tomorrow morning. Well, we’ve now seen everything apparently so we won’t bother tomorrow.

G&B

Mon & Brec - day #5

 

Wednesday 10th July 2024

Having spent a quiet night just around the corner from our hire base, this morning Graham set us off at 9am and we went under the bridge and past the base. The weather all day ahs been a cold wind plus alternating sunshine and fine drizzle, although we never got really wet.

 

we cruised down past Govilon and Llanfoist until we reached Pontymoile which was Graham’s target for tonight. The countryside and canal have been so varied; different agriculture and now, different trees and plants – both on land and aquatic.

 

We spotted three different Kingfishers between Mamhilad and Pontymoile. A couple in an inflatable canoe told us that we would see Llamas, but we didn’t spot them.

 

The canal became shallower and weedier as we approached tonight’s target stop so our entry was not dignified. Having moored on the visitor mooring we decided that it was too noisy with a busy main road passing over a bridge very close by so we untied and made our way further South to moor outside the Open Hearth public house, a much quieter location as well as a suitable dining establishment for tonight. 

Both the beer and the food were excellent and we even treated ourselves to a dessert as well.

G&B

Mon & Brec - day #4

 Tuesday 9th July 2024

Welsh drizzle has an amazing capacity to wet as much as a deluge. After a very wet night, which started raining heavily on our return from the river, we awoke to a very damp morning which continued drizzling until about 11:30.

 

We traveled back down the canal, past Pencelli, through two operational lift bridges and stopped for lunch at Talybont. Back in 1980 we had a terrific evening in the Star Inn and so we decided to lunch there today fro old times sake. Google stated that it opened at 12:00 so not long to wait. We finally wandered down about 12:15 to find a very sad looking pub with a note on the door stating that they opened at 4pm - despite what the canal guide books and Google says. The White Hart next door doesn't open on Mondays or Tuesdays - so it was back to the boat for lunch on the move.

 

We moved on through the Ashford tunnel and on to Llangynidr locks where the volockies assisted us down through the top 4. At the bottom lock, Graham was asked by a novice hirer who was going to come up the flight, whether they could watch and learn as we came down. As the lock was empty with the gates open, Graham suggested they brought their boat into the lock and he would teach them how to work it. 

 

Once they were through, we decended and made our way to Gilwern as we wanted an evening meal out tonight. The Towpath Inn appeared to be closed tonight (Good - cos they only do Pizzas! Ed.) so we went to theBeaufort Arms where the food was superb, mostly normal pub food but very well prepared and presented.

G&B

Mon & Brec - day #3

Monday 8th July 2024

Dinner in the Royal Oak last night was excellent! They also had a good selection of real ales so definitely worth a visit. 

Today we have had a pleasant day cruising through woodland for the most part. Although the sky looked threatening all day, we stayed dry and relatively warm. We set off from Pencelli at 09:00 and Graham drove past Cambrian marina and over the Brynoch aqueduct to Brynoch lock whilst Brenda showered and did ‘things’ inside the boat.

 

Once through the lock, it was Graham’s turn for a shower. Immediately after the lock Brenda happened across some tree surgeons who were cutting up a fallen tree that had previously been temporarily cleared from blocking the canal. The stump and main trunk were being cut up on the non towpath side and then large chunks were dragged across the canal by a winch and wire cables to the towpath side.

 

Brenda sat and patiently waited until they signalled her past and then we continued our journey into the basin at Brecon. Gilwern Countess is equipped with a TV for playing DVDs as there is no aerial system on the boat.

 

Graham decided to trawl the charity shops in town as they usually have set top TV aerials for sale. First shop and he found the ‘Rolls Royce’ of amplified internal/external aerials, absolutely brand new and never use, for £4. Add 2 DVDs and a CD and we had to pay £5 in total – result!

Celebration was taken in the Brecon Tap House, a beer and food emporium, where a beer and a cup of tea were purchased. Then into Alde for supplies before returning to the boat in the basin.

 

We left the basin at about 3pm and headed back, through Brynock lock where we met the trip boat returning to Brecon, and across the aqueduct to moor on the offside immediately after. Although not towpath side, this length of canal bank has a memorial garden set up and appears to frequently be used for mooring.

After dinner, we wandered through the woods and down to the bank of the river Usk where Graham flew his drone to get some aqueduct pictures/footage.

Back to the boat to watch the revitalised TV and then an exceedingly quiet night.

G&B

 

Mon and Brec - day#2

 Sunday 7th July 2024

Union bridge, where we moored overnight, is so named as it was leading to Crickhowell workhouse, well out of the way.

We set off at 09:30 after the morning's rain had ceased - or so we thought! The intermittent rain persisted, as befits the Welsh mountains, until we reached the locks when the heavy rain started.

 

Prior to that, we came across a veeerrryy slow hire boat whose speed was such that we alternated between tick-over and neutral to avoid colliding with his stern. After bridge 121 they pulled over to let us past and they explained that it was their first time hiring and they weren't sure what they were doing. The Mon and Brec is not a good canal for novices as it is too shallow at the edges.

We arrived at the Llangynidr lock flight and found ourselves following another boat up the flight, luckily we were ably assisted by the CaRT volunteer lockies which made back setting easier, as all locks have to be left empty with bottom gates open on this canal. Brenda spotted a Robin observing our progress through lock 66.

 

Once out the locks we found ourselves following the boat ahead of us, another hire boat whose steerer was throwing the tiller from side to side and getting into all sorts of trouble. they pulled over to let us past so I advised their novice steerer to try and keep tiller movements small to improve progress.

 

All day we have seen groups of teenagers walking the towpath, in the miserable rain, loaded with full back packs all doing their D of E silver trek. One lad told Graham that he wasn't bothering to go for Gold as this expedition had been "too bloody hard"

A couple of canoeists were waiting at the mouth of the tunnel so we let them follow us through as they did not have head torches as required by CaRT. Through Talybont and also the mechanised lift bridge. we continued on to Pencelli where we moored for the night outside the Royal Oak, our destination for dinner tonight.  

Once we were tied up for the night, the sun came out and it has been a pleasant evening.

G&B

Mon and Brec - day #1

 Saturday 6th July 2024

Exactly one year and one day after delivering Powys (formerly known as Jannock) to Rugby Boats brokerage we are hiring Gilwern Countess from Roadhouse Narrowboats for a week to rediscover the Brecon and Abergavenny canal. We last visited this canal in 1980 hiring Gilwern Queen from the same company (although under different ownership now) We were very lucky as they gave us a ‘returning customer’ discount when we booked this holiday even though it was 44 years ago.

We arrived at their base in Gilwern and were allowed to take the car down the towpath to the boat in order to offload all our ‘stuff’. Once the car had been parked in their yard, we were then taken through a very thorough personal (no DVD’s here) handover process before setting off towards Brecon just before 4pm. Nigel, our trainer accompanied us through the first bridge and around the first bend before abandoning ship to walk back to base.

It’s wonderful to be back on the cut again, floating through dappled sunshine and glorious countryside. After 44 years we don’t remember much abut this canal so it’s all new to us. We travelled North west through Llangattock and out into the countryside again to moor for the night just before Union Bridge at 6pm.

Countess is only 42 foot length and so is a lot more manoeuvrable than Jannock. She also has a shallow Vee shaped hull to make her more suitable to the Mon & Brec profile and so steers quite well.

G & B