Chillin’ on the Mon & Brec

Spring 2024

By Jean Kerr

It’s late winter in New England. When I walk – layered up, bundled up – on the beach after a storm, I may be awestruck by the power and the beauty of the ocean, but never do I look at the roiling waters and think, “Gee, I wish I were out there.” This is not the stuff of a fireside daydream. It’s more like a waking-up-in-a-sweat sort of dream, screaming, “Hard alee.”

On the canal, however, there is no heeling over, and there are no rocky ledges, massive waves, 10-foot tides or fluky winds – just the gentle putt-putt of the diesel engine of a canal boat. So what I do daydream about is our canal-boat cruise last July on the Monmouth and Brecon Canal in Wales.

The Monmouth and Brecon Canal – Bannau Brycheiniog in Welsh – roughly parallels the River Usk, long a favorite of fly-fishermen. End to end, the “Mon and Brec,” as it is called, is only 35 miles long, but vessels are not permitted to go faster than 3 mph, so you have to take your time. You don’t have a choice.

If you’re a restless, speed-loving, Type-A sort, this is not the trip for you. If you want to truly relax and still be on the water, without being on a cruise ship, this is the way to go. Actually, the speed limit is 4 mph, but you must not create any sort of wake, which means most vessels cruise at between 2 and 3 mph.

It surprised us a bit when friends asked, “It will just be the two of you? Who’s going to run the boat?” After 40 years of both sail and powerboat deliveries, and almost as many years sailing our own 28-foot sailboat along the Maine coast, it didn’t seem all that daunting, but we had lots to learn nonetheless.

The Castle Longboats fleet is based in the village of Gilwern, in southeast Wales, which is just about near the midpoint of the canal. Each of their longboats is named for a Welsh castle. Our chosen vessel, the Skenfrith Castle, is named for a nearby castle built in the aftermath of William the Conqueror’s 1066 invasion of England. It was also a sentimental favorite for me as my grandparent had a centuries-old stone cottage near Skenfrith, and outings to the village and castle ruins were frequent.

The Castle Longboats fleet is made up of lovely boats with wood interiors, comfortable seating and berths, and well-appointed galleys. There was plenty of room for two, even though the Skenfrith Castle is one of the smaller vessels. It felt luxurious.

Based on the size and weight of the boat – 50 feet LOA with a 6’10” beam – it might appear that more hands would be needed on deck. But here’s the beauty of it: As long as you can wrangle a tiller, and pole yourself off a marshy mudflat, that’s all you really need.

Running aground seems to be par for the course. On the cabin-top are two poles (one long, one shorter) with which to push your way off a reedy bank or out of muddy shallows. A scrape or two navigating the more than 100 narrow bridges you pass under are not considered serious faux pas, judging from occasional paint swipes on stone bridge abutments. These boats are virtually indestructible. The bridges are also aids to navigation. They are numbered and correspond to the canal guide’s information and maps.

The Castle Longboats crew were welcoming, relaxed and patient with first-timers. There might not have been tides, ledges and fog, but there was enough to learn: how to operate the locks, how to navigate the narrow stone bridges, how and when to begin turning a 15-ton vessel, and how to drive stakes to which to tie up when no permanent bollards are on the canal bank. We learned how to access the propeller in case it became fouled with grasses, and how and why to keep the water tanks topped up; it’s a ballast thing.

Being a cook, I appreciated most the ability to move freely up and down the companionway to the galley without feeling queasy, as one might in a rough sea. I could emerge on the small afterdeck with lunches, snacks and cocktails without having to keep one hand for the boat.

But if you’re not a cook, plenty of excellent places to eat are ashore, and many offer takeout. There are local beer and artisanal gin gardens, not to mention real-deal fish and chips, steak-and-ale pie and other local specialties. Wales is known for its excellent lamb. As a devoted carnivore, I bought it in markets, cooked it, and ate it in pubs whenever it was offered.

Canal boating would be an attractive family vacation option. Given that you can stop just about anywhere along your route and find hiking trails, historic towns, castle ruins and churches dating back to the 11th century, there’s plenty to see close to wherever you tie up. Or, if the kids need a run and romp, there are always the paths parallel to your route.

You will be heading either north-northwest or east-southeast, more or less, depending upon where you start. Then you turn around and return the way you came. There are “winding holes,” broad boat basins designed for turning around, along the way. On your journey, you pass through some of the loveliest parts of Britain: the Brecon Beacons, the River Usk and storybook villages. You watch the hills and valleys go by, gliding past woods and pastures for sheep, cows and a few ponies. Birdlife is abundant, with kingfishers, red kites, herons and buzzards to be seen.

From the deck of the boat you can pick foxgloves and wild rhododendrons, and you can spot wild cherry trees, bluebells and yellow celandines. Otters enjoy the canal banks, and you may spot a rare brown rabbit or two.

The only interruption of our reverie was the need to operate the five locks at Llangynidr, yet another reason you can’t be in a hurry. Volunteers from the Monmouth and Brecon Canal Trust are often on hand to help first-timers, thank goodness. I was often at the helm during these operations as I didn’t always feel up to the hand-crank chains that open and close the massive wooden doors controlling the water flow.

While you’re in the lock’s chamber, it’s important for the canal boat to remain squarely in the middle, not letting the bow or the stern fetch up on the stone cills at either end. The cill is a narrow horizontal ledge jutting out a short way into the chamber from below the upper gates. Alarming pictures in the canal guide show pictures of unwary boaters stuck on these ledges at a precarious angle. It was, I have to say, a bit nerve-wracking at first, but we soon were old hands at it and started to look forward to the process.

Not far beyond these locks is the slightly spooky Ashford Canal Tunnel at Talybont-on-Usk, an unlit stone passageway that stretches 1,125 feet. It is less than 12 feet wide, meaning there is room for only one boat at a time. If there is no “light at the end of the tunnel” it means another vessel is passing through and you’ve got to wait until it emerges. Seeing that light, we entered, but still tooted the boat horn while passing through, just for good measure.

Given that the Skenfrith Castle is only seven feet wide, you could reach out and touch the mossy stone walls of the tunnel if you wanted to. In some spots, headroom is a matter of inches. Being vertically impaired, I had no concerns, but the skipper had to scrunch down once or twice. The canal guide recommends turning on the spotlight on the bow, as well as the cabin lights. This does a reasonable job of illumination, but it’s a bit eerie nonetheless.

Beyond that, nearing the picturesque town of Brecon, is the aqueduct that crosses the river Usk. There’s something wondrous about this. Cruising along at our leisurely pace and finding ourselves crossing high above the river, looking down at the rocky, fast-running stream that has been a favorite of freshwater fishermen for decades.

Brecon itself is one of the more bustling towns along the canal. It is known for its theater, its beautiful residential gardens, and its 11th- century cathedral, expanded and rebuilt in parts in 1215. In Brecon you can provision, take your pick of restaurants and cafes, go pony trekking or horseback riding, hike or rent a bicycle.

Sadly, for us, it was time to head south, reluctantly turning around to head back to Gilwern and Castle Longboats. It was our first canal cruise, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be our last.

Jean Kerr is the author of four cookbooks, including “Mystic Seafood” and “Maine Windjammer Cooking.” She is the former editor of “Northeast Flavor” magazine and a regular contributor to “Cruising World.”

A window into the Industrial Revolution

The canal wasn’t always such a pastoral paradise. Constructed in the late 1700s, it has been described as “the motorway of the Industrial Revolution.” What is now the Mon and Brec was originally two separate canals that were joined in order to transport coal iron and lime from Welsh mines via waterways and horse-drawn tram roads. You pass by restored lime kilns near the village of Goytre, a reminder of an age of hardship and heavy labor, even for children.

The preserved kilns are a World Heritage Site and tell the story of how this mode of canal transport moved iron with which to build railways, which would eventually render the canals obsolete. During the 20th century, the canal was nearly lost due to road construction, but committed canal supporters lobbied hard for preservation. Restoration began in 1968.

Jean Kerr

Resources:

Castle Narrowboats: Tel. 011 873 830001, castlenarrowboats.co.uk.

Monmouth and Brecon Canal Trust: mon-brec-canal-trust.org.uk

“The Mon and Brec Canal Guide,”monandbrecguide@gmail.com,

monandbrecguide.wales.