The Montgomery Canal

Sally Van at Queen's Head

Lottie waiting for us to catch up

After breakfast we moved Sally Van to the motor home service point where we emptied the grey water and filled with fresh water. As the day would be hot we drove along the A5 to Queen’s Head to walk along the Montgomery Canal. This would allow Lottie to bathe to cool down and we were hoping for shade from canal side trees.

canal wild flowers

The drive to Queen’s Head was easy apart from a slow queue of traffic around Shrewsbury at each roundabout. We parked in a small CRT car park which had just enough depth to fit Sally Van in and had a small picnic area by the canal.

We had to cross the canal before gaining the towpath and then started walking. We met two boats in a few minutes, surprising on this little cruised canal.

“I’d have thought we would have reached the locks by now,” Van Man remarked.

“That was the other way,” I replied. We are heading towards Frankton Junction.”

“I’ve gone the wrong way,” he replied.

“We can walk the other way after lunch,” I replied.

butterfly by the canal

Bridge 74

The walk was lovely with overhanging trees giving us quite a lot of shade, even though a road ran alongside us. Fortunately the traffic was not too busy. Our walk was quite tranquil as we enjoyed watching the plentiful dragonflies and butterflies. Lottie approved of our route as she could get into the canal at several points to cool down. We reached bridge 74 and found another car park close to the canal so we could walk from there another day. We retraced our steps to Sally Van having been out for an hour and twenty minutes. It was very hot so we spent a couple of hours relaxing at the picnic area which Sally Van was parked adjacent to.

Looking down from bridge74

There was one table under shady trees so it was a lovely place to have lunch and relax. Lottie found a cool place to sleep near our table. The temperature mid day was thirty degrees, far too hot in the sun.

After lunch we walked the other way along the canal to look at the three locks. At first the towpath was along a gravel lane which led to the house at the first lock, which Lottie did not like but she managed to walk along the narrow strip of grass. We passed a cyclist repairing a puncture made by the sharp gravel. Lottie could not get into the canal to cool down as the corrugated piling holding the bank back was higher than the bank.

Sally Van from the tow path

Lottie at a lock

At the first lock Lottie swiftly crossed the top lock gate to explore the far side and headed straight to a gate. We followed and found it led to a small nature reserve with an overflow pond fed from the canal. Lottie paddled into the water and sat down in the shallows, cooling off.

From this point onwards it was a normal towpath which our Lurcher appreciated. It clouded over and we had a light shower as we approached the second lock. However the rain was refreshing as the day was still hot. We chatted to boaters working on their moored narrowboat and moved on.

lock surround

Lottie explored both sides of third lock oblivious to the family in lifejackets resting on the towpath beside their canoe.

As we walked slowly back past lock two a man raced along the towpath on a four wheel ATV from behind us. The boaters blocked his path and an angry exchange of opinions was heard. Lottie crossed over to the far side as if to avoid the commotion. The boaters stood their ground probably pointing out that ATV’s were not allowed along the towpath. At last the man got past them and thundered past our lock scowling.

Back at the first lock Lottie revisited the pond for a dip while we chatted to the cyclist who was repairing a second puncture. He was very unlucky to get two punctures in under a mile.

Canal mile post

We returned to Sally Van after being overtaken by the canoeists who were propelling their craft swiftly through the water.

Back at Sally Van we had a hot drink. After sitting in the shade until the heat of the day had passed we headed back to our camp site at 4.00. It was cloudy and showery there but much cooler thankfully. We had a relaxing evening in a very quiet campsite.

The lock chamber