Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal boaters asked to share stories
- Published
Author Kenneth Grahame based his animal characters "simply messing about on boats" on his own childhood experiences by the River Thames
Words immortalised by children's favourite The Wind in the Willows have become the inspiration to revive the fortunes of a Welsh canal stretch.
In the novel, Ratty tells Mole: "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal users are now being urged to write about their own adventures on the water.
It is part of plans to reopen and regenerate sections through Torfaen.
The tradition of boaters writing about people they met and places they visited on the canal dates back decades, with books left at the southern end.
One was placed in The Open Hearth pub and restaurant at Griffithstown, and one at The Cross Keys, Five Locks, Pontnewydd.
However, those original books recording canal life have been lost, despite concerted efforts to find them.
"The records of names of the boats, skippers and crew, comments and funny ditties stretched back over three decades," said Tracey Leake-Jones, who was part of a campaign to locate them.
"Due to the passage of time, change of hands of The Open Hearth and sale of the former Cross Keys pub into private ownership, both boater's signing books together with the boaters' histories and traditions have been lost.
"All attempts to find the books and recover the history have failed."
During lockdown, more runners, cyclists and dog walkers discovered the beauties of the canal
A new book has now been placed in The Open Hearth, and Mark Sullivan, who is also part of the group, said he believed the lesser-known southern parts of the canal need to be celebrated in the same way as those in the north through the Brecon Beacons National Park.
"This great asset on our doorstep, it needs to be invested in. During the pandemic, a lot of people used the towpath and canal for mental health as well as physical," he said.
"Joggers, walkers, cyclists. With no gym, people were looking for things on their doorstep, and it's a forgotten treasure.
"People are realising what they have."
What is now the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal started as a network of waterways to transport iron and coal to Newport Docks in the late 1700s.
It runs for about 35 miles (56km) through Brecon and Crickhowell in Powys and Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, but the navigable section stops in Torfaen, where the A4051 was built over the canal as part of efforts to create Cwmbran as a new town in the 1940s.
Torfaen council is responsible for a 0.8 mile (1.3km) stretch through the area, which starts at South Sebastopol.
However, boaters currently have to cut their journeys short at Bevan's Lane Bridge, which was closed in June 2018 for a new structure to be created serving new housing estates.
Weeds and debris at the new Bevan's Lane bridge mean boats can no longer navigate this stretch of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
A group set up on Facebook, with 2,500 members, wants to make the canal navigable from the bridge to Five Locks in Cwmbran.
"Reinstating this old tradition of signing the boater's book is another step in raising even more awareness of the beauty of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal here at the southern end," Mr Sullivan added.
"We are very proud to have this magnificent canal running through the heart of Torfaen.
"Through the combined efforts of everyone involved, the canal can be nurtured back to life and its full potential reached and respected."
Sections of the canal remain unnavigable - blocked by weeds and overgrowth
The new book will be kept at The Open Hearth, and landlord Gareth Hobbs said: "We always look forward to seeing the different canal cruisers and narrowboats that travel down and our daughter loves welcoming them by waving to them as they cruise past.
"We love to hear the stories of where the crews have come from and tales of their adventures along the way."
A Torfaen council spokeswoman described it as "an important leisure asset" for the area, with the local authority having a "longstanding ambition" to regenerate it.
It has recently created a new canal coordinator post, and she added: "They will work with our canal groups to co-design a clear and deliverable strategy for the long-term regeneration of the canal."
Local MP Nick Thomas-Symonds has backed moves to bring the area back into wider use.
He said: "We are incredibly lucky to have such a fantastic asset in the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal that runs through our borough, bringing with it huge benefit to both the local economy and to people's physical and mental health."
- Published5 August 2021
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