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