Sunday, April 26, 2009

Welsh weekend


I will continue with my Chiswick adventures when I get home, but this weekend I'm in Newport, Gwent (OK Gwent doesn't officially exist any more, but you know where I mean) visiting my sister. Yesterday we went shopping and today I believe we are going to Abergavenny. When I originally planned the visit I looked into hiring a dayboat on the Mon&Brec, but it proved a combination of too expensive and inaccessible by public transport.
There is canal interest here, but I have yet to suss it out. I was discussing it in the pub last night with some of Ali's friends who said it can be found in the town, sorry, city, and followed for some way. I gather from them that part of it at least is in water and there are still extant locks. Any further information would be greatly appreciated - I have only been able (albeit with a brief search) to find stuff relating to Newport in Shropshire. There was an old photo of one lock in the pub - a sixteenth century establishment called the Olde Murenger. Apparently a murenger is the person who looks after the town walls.
The canal - and railway - are celebrated with a splendid mosaic cum bas relief on an underpass by the river Usk.

2 comments:

Halfie said...

Hi Sarah

We walked the entire length of the Mon and Brec last year, and I took lots of photos. Here's the post relating to Newport (more photos than information, sorry!) I followed the unnavigable section as much as possible, but it got difficult near its junction with the Usk.

http://jhalfie.blogspot.com/2008/04/mon-and-brec-day-four.html

Richard Fairhurst said...

Following the Sustrans cycle route 47 signs north from Newport Castle will take you to the in-water stretch of the Monmouthshire. Then continue up the Crumlin Arm and you'll get to Fourteen Locks, which are pretty awesom.