Monty’s Brewery have launched Navigation Pale Ale to support the ongoing restoration of the Montgomery Canal, which recently celebrated the opening of another restored section to Crickheath Basin while Schoolhouse Bridge, another 300 yds along the course of the canal, is currently being rebuilt – so it’s all go down on the cut.
Russ and Pam Honeyman run Monty’s Brewery and have always been interested in the canal and its history and Russ said,
“It’s great that we can help the volunteers with their work to bring the canal back to life by making a donation from every pint of Navigation Pale Ale sold. We launched it in late May to coincide with the grand opening at the beginning of June and the response has been really good so far and, of course, the more people enjoy the ale, the more canal can be restored, it’s a win, win situation”.
Navigation Pale Ale is now available in many pubs near the Montgomery Canal and the reviews have been excellent with the Navigation Inn in Maesbury reporting selling-out Monty’s on the day of release.
Picture left to right: Tom Fulda (SUCS), Russ Honeyman (Monty’s), Rich Hamp (SUCS), Pam Honeyman (Monty’s) & David Carter (SUCS)
The Montgomery Canal (Welsh: Camlas Trefaldwyn), known colloquially as ‘The Monty’, is a partially restored canal in eastern Powys and northwest Shropshire. The canal runs 33 miles (53 km) from the Llangollen Canal at Frankton Junction to Newtown via Llanymynech and Welshpool and crosses the England–Wales border.
Originally, the canal from Llanymynech to Newtown was known as the Montgomeryshire Canal. It was named after the county of Montgomeryshire that it ran through and it was divided into Western and Eastern branches which met at Garthmyl. At Carreghofa Locks near Llanymynech, the Montgomeryshire Canal connected to the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal. These elements of the present-day Montgomery Canal were unified when they each became part of the Shropshire Union system: the Ellesmere Canal in 1846, the Eastern Branch in 1847 and the Western Branch in 1850.
The canal fell into disuse following a breach in 1936 and was officially abandoned in 1944. With the revival of canal use in the late 20th century, the Western and Eastern branches of the Montgomeryshire Canal and the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal together became known as the Montgomery Canal although the canal does not, and never did, go to the town of Montgomery.
At present only 7 miles (11 km) from Frankton Junction to Gronwen Wharf is navigable and connected to the rest of the national Canal & River Trust network. Separately, a short stretch at Llanymynech and a central section of the canal around Welshpool are also navigable though isolated from the national canal network. Ongoing restoration work continues to expand the navigable sections.
