Find out more about what's going on locally

From time to time, we invite people to contribute to our blog. On this occasion we'd like to thank Kate Beavan who runs Kate's Country School, along with husband Jim, on their farm in Monmouthshire. The family first came to the nation’s attention after hosting Lambing Live for the BBC in 2010.

Q. How did Kate’s Country School come about?

A. Kate’s Country School is part of our family-run, 300 acre, traditional mixed farm in stunning Monmouthshire. A farmstead has been here since the 12th century and we have many lovely, historic buildings including the classroom, set above the 17th century cider house. When originally thinking of diversification, courses seemed an obvious choice, combining the seasonality of farm life alongside our expertise and qualifications. Although hosting BBC’s first Lambing Live series in 2010 set our launch plans back, it provided a fantastic marketing opportunity with lambing courses now being one of the most popular. We also won a tourism award for promoting the breathtaking landscape, managed by Welsh farmers, to 3 million viewers. It's a beautiful setting: we have resident otters on the river, and Kingfishers nesting in the bank, providing a regular flash of colour.

Getting to grips with the Sheep Husbandry course

A. The courses that fill up the quickest are the lambing and cider-making courses. We have a new course starting in September 2017 called “A taste of the goodlife” and this has also drawn a lot of interest. It is a taster of all our courses covering livestock, wildlife, orchards, spinning wool, making preserves and so on. Team-building is also becoming popular, and was recently added to our portfolio of activities, following many requests.

Soldiers trying their hand at carding and spinning wool

Q. What type of people come on your courses?

A. The majority are smallholders or those thinking about the possibility of starting a smallholding. Others are veterinary students, new entrant farmers or people who simply want to try a new experience. Our cider-making course attracts a complete range of people and, as expected, is a boozy course!

Expect plenty of enjoyment on the Cider-Making course!

Q. What new developments are planned?
A. We are launching a new website later in 2017 and it will include "Really Rural Weddings" - an exciting venture that starts in 2018. We'll be offering quirky rural weddings and parties. Expect welly wanging, skittle, hog roast, live music, wild cocktails and, of course, cider. On a more sober note, we're also adding an advanced sheep husbandry course to our programme, to follow on from our existing courses, as many of our customers are asking for more!

Q. What's the most rewarding aspect of Kate's Country School?
A. It's got to be seeing people develop confidence in a new activity in the space of a day...even more so when students return year after year for further courses. Take complete novices on shearing courses - at the end of the day they confidently shear four sheep, and the results are faces beaming with pride. Our customers leave the courses knowing that we are just a phone call away for on-going advice. Jim and I have some fantastic friendships which are the result of people coming on our courses and enjoying a slice of rural life.

Guest blog: Kate's Country School

Our latest creation, Wren, is based on a curvy theme and includes an oval shower for two and an oval kingsize bed! We set out to create a couple's boat, with contemporary styling. Apart from the toilet, the entire boat is one large, light space that is cleverly split into areas. You can move easily from the kitchen, into the lounge, pass through the shower and relax in the luxurious bed. It's a boating experience like no other! 

Looking through the large oval shower towards the kingsize oval bed...

Dining table fits neatly into place for meals...

We searched extensively to source high-spec curved objects, including the wood-effect gas stove...

...and virtually everything in the kitchen.

Our carpenter, Jeff, worked his magic to create a circular feature for the kitchen floor...

At the front of the boat, a large window opens from the bedroom...

The oval, kingsize bed has crisp white linen, duvet and a Welsh lambswool blanket by Melin Tregwynt...

And to think, she started off as a mere plan on a sheet of paper last year...

Now she's cruising the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal and ready for your holiday visit!

Wren is ahead of the curve

This year we’re building two new boats, Kingfisher and Wren, bringing our fleet up to 17. Here’s a look behind the scenes at some of the work that went into making Kingfisher.

After the boat is insulated and the first fix electrics are in place, the painted ceiling goes up.

The ceiling paintwork is carefully masked ready for the wood trim to be varnished.

Our supremely talented carpenter, Jeff, takes rough planks of walnut, oak and ash.....

…and turns them into sublime interiors for our narrowboats.

Each boat has a Shire 40 diesel engine (using a Yanmar 4 cylinder block which has been marinised by Barrus, for use in marine applications).

And we use this hoist to carefully place it into the engine bay.

And, of course, we carefully paint the engine bay before we install the engine.

Sarah is responsible for the glossy green and cream exterior paintwork.

We spray each boat in our purpose-built paint booth – shown here with the sides rolled up.

Kingfisher has large, opening, double-glazed windows.

Once the paintwork is properly cured we fit the brass fittings, including the mushroom air vents, and pole and boarding plank supports on the roof.

Finally, she’s ready to have her nameplate attached. Kingfisher is the longest name so her nameplate is the largest in the fleet.

Now, Kingfisher is cruising the canal and we're taking bookings for 2018. Check Kingfisher’s availability.

How we built Kingfisher

Arts Alive Wales provides inspirational courses and workshops from its base in Crickhowell, which is a short walk from our boathouse. We asked Creative Director, Rebecca Spooner, to outline the charity’s activities, and give us a taste of workshops that are taking place this year.

"Arts Alive Wales is an educational arts charity supported by the Arts Council of Wales. Our light and airy studio is based in Crickhowell where we run art and craft courses throughout the year, including Life Drawing, Ceramics, Textiles, Painting, Basket Making and many more. The courses are relaxed and friendly, led by professional tutors and suitable for complete beginners as well as those with experience.

Arts Alive works across the Black Mountains region delivering high quality, creative projects with a variety of partners including schools, homeless hostels, housing associations and mental health charities.

I’m the Creative Director and oversee the public programme at the studio as well as developing Peak – an exciting initiative which creates contemporary arts projects in the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons. Most recently we’ve been working with artists, writers and musicians to create new art outdoors in unusual places. This landscape is an incredible inspiration to artists."

Does the Mon & Brec canal feature in any projects?

"One of our Peak projects, Limelight, involved a collaboration with the Canal & River Trust and two artists, Rob Smith and Charles Danby based in Newcastle. The project researched and responded to the working landscape of canals, quarries, tramways and kilns that serviced the lime industry of the Black Mountains, which in turn fed the nation’s heavy industries. The artists used digital means to bring reflections on this history to urban audiences by streaming live illuminations at nightfall from Llangattock Limekilns in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park to Cardiff, as part of the Cardiff Contemporary arts festival.

We were also involved in the Canal & River Trust open day at Llangattock and took our Horsebox Studio with an intriguing collection of vintage books, maps, objects and films related to the lime industry and canals in the Black Mountains."

Do you have a favourite spot on the canal?

"One of my favourite spots, just above the canal is the Craig Y Cilau national nature reserve and Llangattock Escarpment. It feels like another world, full of rare plants, old quarry tramroads and caves, with ravens and red kites circling overhead. It’s a very special place and I could spend hours immersed in that landscape."

A big thank you to Rebecca Spooner for encouraging us all to find our creative sides. We are used to painting, though it tends to be on a rather larger scale!

The Arts are Alive in Crickhowell

5 reasons to visit the Brecon Beacons in winter

If you’re new to boating, you’ll be reassured to hear that handling our narrowboats is easier than driving a car! You don’t need any boating experience when you book a holiday with Beacon Park Boats.

We get you in the mood for boating well before your holiday begins by sending you a comprehensive information pack. This includes a selection of holiday itineraries which you may wish to follow. For example, there are leisurely routes, more active routes, and even a lock-free route if you don’t fancy going through a lock on this particular holiday. We also include our 40-minute training DVD which shows the important aspects of boat handling and explains how everything works.

Our detailed procedures for ensuring customers are capable and confident on our boats have the stamp of approval of the British Marine Federation. In fact, we are the first canal boat hire company in Wales to gain the British Marine Federation’s Quality Accredited Boatyard status, which recognises all-round excellence, in every aspect of the business, from health & safety and housekeeping, to marketing and on-line booking.

All our narrowboats have large rear decks so the helmsman (the official name of the person steering the boat) need never be alone. It’s from the rear deck that our boats are steered, using a tiller. You stand holding the tiller in your right hand, leaving your left hand free to operate the engine and the horn. By moving the tiller you are moving the rudder which is located behind the propeller. Push the tiller to the right and the boat moves to the left, and vice versa.

For effortless manoeuvring, bow thrusters are really helpful. They are jets of water which can move the front of the vessel sideways with the simple push of a button located on the rear deck. Usually found only on privately-owned boats, it’s a major selling point for many of our customers, who prefer not to use the traditional barge pole.

Should you misjudge a bend, there is no need to panic on our boats. Just switch on the bow thruster, push either the right or left button and a small jet of water from the front will prevent any unplanned contact with the bank! The bow thrusters are fantastic to help with mooring. Remember the times you’ve been parallel parking your car, and you’ve accidentally hit the kerb. Bow thrusters are like having ‘parking assist’ mode on your narrowboat when you’re mooring. You can nudge the boat gently with a push of a button, avoid hitting the bank and finish in the perfect moored position.

At the start of your holiday, we provide you with a thorough handover on your narrowboat, explaining and demonstrating how everything works. We adjust the content of the handover depending on the boating experience of our customers, as we strive to offer a truly personalised service. Once you’re happy, you take the controls and we accompany you on a short practice cruise. That way we know you’re confident before you set off on your own. Of course, if you need assistance during your holiday we are just a phone call away. In the meantime take a look at our video.

How to steer a narrowboat

BBC Countryfile recently visited the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal in Llangattock, just a stone’s throw from our wharf, to report on various aspects of the work being undertaken by the Canal and River Trust (CRT). The programme, which is due to be broadcast on BBC1 on Sunday 27th November 2016 at 6.20pm, features the work to reline the canal at Llangattock. There are interviews with CRT Ecologist Dr Mark Robinson, Mon & Brec Supervisor Kevin Phillips and MEM Fisheries, who carried out a fish rescue in the canal along with Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton.

A fish rescue is a way of removing fish from a stretch of water so that it can be drained and/or worked on. A specialist fish rescue team passes an electric current through the water which temporarily stuns the fish causing them to float to the surface. They are then scooped up and put into holding tanks before being returned, unharmed, to another stretch of the canal. In the recent fish rescue at Llangattock, the catch included dace, roach, perch, gudgeon, skimmers and eels. Back in November 2014 we had to arrange a fish rescue at Llangattock, in order to drain the canal as part of the project to build our new wharf.

The television cameras may have gone, but CRT staff are at their busiest with planned winter maintenance. Now that the stretch of canal near Llangattock is drained, work has started on installing a new concrete lining to this section of the waterway.

Over £3million is being spent on major maintenance works on the Mon & Brec this winter, including:

- replacing both sets of gates on Lock 66 and replacing the head gates on Lock 67

- rebuilding a culvert and weir at Goytre Wharf

- repairs to the aqueduct at Talybont-on-Usk

- replacement of the control system on bridge 144, the lift bridge at Talybont-on-Usk

These significant improvements to the Mon & Brec infrastructure will be completed in readiness for visitors to start cruising again at the end of March. Plan your 2017 holiday now.

BBC Countryfile features fish rescue on the Mon and Brec canal

According to some seasoned geocachers, the Mon & Brec in South Wales is the best geocache canal in the world. We’re certainly seeing an increase in the number of visitors who try out geocaching while they are here, and some come on specially organised holidays, to hunt for geocaches along the waterway. One such visitor, Tarja from Finland, has kindly supplied the photographs for this blog; she visited these places while geocaching during her cruise on the Mon & Brec canal.

We asked some geocachers who have holidayed on our boats to explain the attraction. Veikko, who hails from Finland, takes regular holidays on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal. Colin and Carole live in Wales, and enjoy the outdoor life with their dog, Wally.

Veikko: Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. With over 2 million geocaches worldwide, it’s an activity that is popular with all ages.

Colin & Carole: Once you’ve set up a free geocaching account, you can choose a geocache that you want to find, then you navigate to find its exact location. Geocaches are essentially waterproof containers that come in almost any shape or size. You will see everything from large, clear plastic containers to film canisters or even a fake rock with a secret compartment. Some are easy to find, others are rather more tricky, and all involve walking to a location and hunting for the geocache. Open the geocache, sign the log book and log your find online. Some geocachers also like to swop a knick-knack for one that’s in the box. Swopping items can turn the activity into a treasure hunt which many families love.

How did you become interested in geocaching?

Veikko: After a visit to the doctor a number of years ago, I was advised to start walking every day for health reasons. It was an excellent piece of advice and led me into geocaching.

Colin & Carole: It started on New Year’s Day 2012 when we went walking with some friends. After a lunch stop at a pub, our friends suggested taking a different route back so they could hunt for a geocache. As we walked they explained all, and we ended up finding a tiny container near the Tommy Cooper bronze statue in Caerphilly. We were hooked and went out the very next day to a geocaching event, where we started making friends in the local geocaching community.

Veikko: Every day. I have found at least one cache every day for the past 700 consecutive days. Often I go alone but when I visit the Mon & Brec canal I tend to come with other geocachers, as I have started organising geo-tours to Wales to show my fellow countrymen the beauties of this wonderful country. On our most recent trip we found over 200 geocaches in the Brecon Beacons.

Colin & Carole: Whenever we have time to spare. It’s a really enjoyable way to explore an area. We book our holidays around good geocaching hot spots. As a premium member of geocaching.com caching stats are displayed … including the length of time since our last geocache find. Our longest spell without finding one is just six days and we’ve now found almost 8,000 geocaches!

Where are your favourite places in the world to go geocaching?

Veikko: Without question, it’s the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal. In my opinion this waterway is ‘The Best Geocaching Canal in the World’. I have visited over 100 countries and nothing compares with this.

Colin & Carole: We don’t have a favourite. It’s taken us to every part of the UK. The furthest North is John O’Groats, furthest South Lizard point, furthest West (believe it or not) is also in Scotland. We’ve also found the highest in the UK (Ben Nevis), the highest in Wales (Snowdon) and the highest in England (Scafell Pike). We have been down caves in Bath, and paddled in a dinghy into a disused canal tunnel. We have even found a cache in a sunken shipwreck out in the Bristol Channel, only accessible at very low spring tides. On a 15-mile walk in Dorset we found 100 caches, and in a 100-mile drive through Cornwall we discovered 360 caches.

Tell me about the geocaches near the Mon & Brec canal.

Veikko: The closest cache to Beacon Park Boats’ base in Llangattock is near the towpath just opposite the boathouse. Until recently there were just a small number of random caches placed along the 33 navigable miles of this waterway. I contacted Colin and Carole who agreed to help out; they’ve been working hard to increase the number of caches on the Mon & Brec, and make it an even more appealing destination for geocachers. A very big thank you to them! To date there are about 100 caches along the canal and a further 200 or so within easy walking distance.

Colin & Carole: Interestingly, the oldest cache in Wales is on the Blorenge mountain, above the Mon & Brec near Abergavenny. Placed there on 17th February 2001, geocachers come from miles to hunt for it. There is a series of 30 caches in the Brecon Beacons called SWMC series, where you uncover clues in some of them to find a final cache. In the mountains above Crickhowell is an interesting 12-mile walk filled with geocaches, called High Tea cache. Brecon has a small series of caches in the town, by the river and along the canal. The Brecon Beacons’ spectacular scenery has geocaches on most of the prominent peaks including Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big, and some are found close to aircraft crash sites on the mountains. For a splendid geocaching evening walk, try the old railway line from Talybont on Usk up to the Talybont Reservoir.

At Veikko’s suggestion we’ve started to place more caches along the canal. So far we have added 33 caches between Brecon and the Ashford tunnel. By the end of 2016 we’ll have placed new caches as far south as Beacon Park Boats at Llangattock. When we place a cache, we like to make it interesting to find, and obviously have to follow the rules set down by geocaching.com. We’ve also had to get permission from the Canal & River Trust. The caches we have placed along the Mon & Brec are all premium member caches, which means only premium members can see their location details. The reason for doing this, is to ensure that the cache location is not compromised by a novice. As we live about 40 miles from the Mon & Brec canal, it is a long way to travel to maintain these caches – which are our responsibility since we placed them there. It’s a big project which we’re proud to be involved in. When complete, we hope it will be a series that will attract many cachers from the UK and overseas.

How would you encourage others to try this activity for the first time?

Veikko: Take a look at www.geocaching.com and get involved with some local geocachers. They’re a very friendly bunch.

Colin & Carole: Start off simple. Become a member of www.geocaching.com and set out to find a basic cache (with a rating of 1 for Difficulty and Terrain). Perhaps progress to be a premium member (fee payable) and attend a few geocaching events. Join Facebook (South Wales Geocachers) where you’ll find lots of encouragement.

If geocaching’s not for you, look at the other activities along the canal.

The world's best canal for geocaching? | Geocache South Wales

The world's best canal for geocaching?

After a successful first season for our houseboat holidays, we are once again offering two of our toasty-warm narrowboats for winter breaks in the Brecon Beacons.

From November to March, our luxury narrowboats Buzzard and Owl will be permanently moored at our wharf in Llangattock, offering a luxury houseboat experience. It’s a very special holiday - being close to nature yet living in 5-star luxury. You’ll be one of the few who get to enjoy the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal when it’s at its most tranquil.

The two narrowboats are moored on either side of our wharf – one to the north and one to the south – so you have your own space. Our car park is just a few metres away, though you may find you don’t go near your car on this get-away-from-it-all break. From our wharf the historic market town of Crickhowell is just a 20-minute walk, with a lovely selection of independent shops, pubs and cafés, overlooked by mountaintops which you may wish to explore.

Last winter the houseboats were enjoyed by amateur photographers, couples who wanted to take long walks with their dog, visitors who liked exploring castles, a couple who cycled stretches of the towpath, and keen stargazers - after all the Brecon Beacons is an International Dark Sky Reserve!

Both Houseboat North and Houseboat South are designed for couples, but, like all our narrowboats, they are highly individual. Which would you prefer?

From November to March, our narrowboat Buzzard becomes Houseboat North. Styled on an Inspection Launch, this wider boat has a canopied front deck with side curtains which form a conservatory.  It’s packed with creature comforts including a 5ft by 6ft 6in double bed, mood lighting and surround sound system in the lounge.

From November to March, our narrowboat Owl becomes Houseboat South. Owl is the perfect boat for an anniversary or honeymoon. Laze in the lavish 5ft four-poster bed and relax in the hot tub on the front deck under a starry sky. Enjoy a romantic meal for two or snuggle up together on the cosy sofa in front of the wood-burning stove. Sheer indulgence.

Stargazing on a winter houseboat holiday

2017 is going to be another exciting year, with the launch of not one, but two new narrowboats for two people. We’ll then have seventeen 5-star narrowboats for hire on the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal.

The designs of these latest boats are the result of listening to what our customers want, and taking inspiration both from our own holiday experiences on boats and in hotels, and from the luxury super yachts that our good friend Thys designs.

With Wren, our boat building takes another turn. Designed for two, this is a very special canal boat with a pioneering, modern open-plan design. Over the past few months Alasdair has enjoyed visiting our friend Thys in Amsterdam where, over dinner, they have discussed narrowboat design.As Managing Director of Dykstra Naval Architects, Thys Nikkels has considerable experience of designing some of the world’s largest super yachts, and is an endless source of inspiration.

In Wren we've used curves creatively and incorporated sleek finishes to give a feeling of being in one large space filled with light - whether preparing food in the high-spec kitchen or relaxing on the sofas in front of the log-effect gas stove. The large walk-through shower is state-of-the-art, and leads to the oval kingsize bed. Beyond that, the windows open onto the front sun deck. Pure indulgence for a couple.

We’ve known for a while now that the layout of our existing boat Buzzard is extremely popular with customers. Kingfisher is very similar with just a few design tweaks: two comfy armchairs instead of a sofa, a beautiful walnut floor and a white ceiling inspired by our love of yachts. Styled on an Inspection Launch, this semi-wide boat is double glazed throughout and has a 5ft by 6ft 6in double bed. Relax in the lounge, complete with log-effect gas stove, mood lighting and surround sound system. Watch the world go by from the rear deck with its built-in seating, or from the canopied front deck with foldaway side curtains that form a conservatory - the perfect place to dine.

We hope you’ll be as excited about these beautiful canal boats, as we are! Take a look at the planned layouts of Wren and Kingfisher now, and come back to this blog for future updates.

Not one, but two new narrowboats for 2017

Brecon is a very popular destination for visitors to the Brecon Beacons National Park. It’s an interesting mix of heritage sites, outdoor shops for walkers, and more than its fair share of lovely cafes. With superb views of the surrounding Brecon Beacons and the terminus of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, it entices you to get out and about. Here are a few facts to help you explore the town.

The Cathedral houses the largest cresset stone in Britain

A 'cresset stone' is a flat stone with cup-shaped hollows, each being used to hold a quantity of tallow and a wick, which were burned to produce light. This was a common method of lighting churches and monasteries in medieval times. Although some thirteen cresset stones remain in various parts of England, the cresset stone in Brecon Cathedral is the only one so far known in Wales, and is the finest yet discovered. It is a rectangular block of native stone containing thirty cups arranged in five parallel rows, with six cups in each row - 14 more cups than at Carlisle Cathedral, where the largest cresset stone previously discovered is located. 

Brecon cathedral, though modest, is set in an impressive walled close which is unique in Wales. It started life in 1093 as the Benedictine Priory of St John the Evangelist, built by the Normans on the site of an earlier Celtic church. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1537 it became Brecon's Parish Church and was made a cathedral in 1923. Today, the remains of the former monastic buildings provide the administrative centre for the Diocese, as well as a Heritage Centre and Pilgrims Tearoom which are certainly worth a visit. The site has also been a filming location for Doctor Who in more recent times.

Brecon comes from the old Welsh word for this kingdom, Brycheiniog, which was named after the 5th century King Brychan who ruled this area. The name later became anglicised to Brecknockshire or Breconshire. The Welsh name for the town 'Aberhonddu' indicates the position of the town as being at the 'mouth of the Honddu' - where the river Honddu meets the river Usk near the town centre. A few miles outside the town, the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal passes over the Brynich aqueduct (pictured) to cross the river Usk.

The town has a strong tradition of performance

In the mid-18th century actor-manager John Ward arrived in Brecon with his company of ‘Strolling Players’ for a season of performances. His family stayed at the Shoulder of Mutton Inn in High Street, where his granddaughter, Sarah Kemble was born on 5th July 1755. As Mrs Sarah Siddons, she went on to become the greatest tragic actress of the London stage, retiring in 1812. The pub where she was born has since been renamed The Sarah Siddons Inn. Today, Brecon is fortunate to have an independent cinema, a Jazz Festival and a Baroque Music Festival. Theatr Brycheiniog, at the end of the canal, is a super setting for a lively programme of arts events including drama, dance, concerts and exhibitions. On the ground floor, with tables outside in warmer weather, there’s Tipple’n’ Tiffin offering coffee and cakes, light lunches and informal dining.

Brecon is a garrison town

The Army has long played a large part in the affairs of the town and the surrounding area. Brecon Barracks, near the centre of town, is the present Administrative Headquarters for the Army in Wales, while an Infantry Battle School is based at Dering Lines on the eastern edge of the town. A few miles to the west of the town is Sennybridge Army Camp and Training Area, one of the largest range and training centres in the UK. Many thousands of service personnel use these facilities each year, training on the rugged hills of the Brecon Beacons. The Gurkhas have particularly strong links with the town. They were honoured with the Freedom of the Town of Brecon in 1985 and an annual parade, known as the Brecon Freedom Parade, marks this association.

The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh is located next to Brecon Barracks. It houses objects and archives from four centuries and across four continents. Best remembered is the tragedy and triumph of Zulu war of 1879. Members of the regiment won a handful of Victoria Crosses at Rorke's Drift, when 140 soldiers of the Regiment stood firm against an attack by 4,000 Zulu warriors. The Regimental Chapel of the Regiment in Brecon Cathedral contains the Colours saved after the British disaster at Isandhlwana which occurred 12 hours before Rorke's Drift.

The Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal (as it was originally called) was built to transport the raw materials and finished goods from the coal mines and ironworks of the South Wales valleys during the 19th century. Limestone, which was quarried in the region, was often transported by water and tramroad to canalside lime kilns. Here it was burned to produce lime for use as a fertiliser and a building material. The remains of lime kilns can be seen at various locations along the length of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal. About half a mile from the now picturesque end of the canal you’ll come across a wooden sculpture of a man with a horse. This is a reminder of Brecon’s industrial past, along with the former lime kilns nearby on the opposite side of the canal. It’s a gentle stroll along the canal towpath or a little jaunt in an electric boat which can be hired from the end of the canal.

5 little-known facts about Brecon

On your next visit to the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, look out for the interpretation panels sited along the towpath. Featuring the detailed illustrations of the late Michael Blackmore, they tell the story of the canal’s history, and form part of a project to provide information that will increase visitors’ enjoyment. Once the project is complete later this year, there’ll be panels spaced along the entire length of the waterway from the terminus at Brecon to Pontymoile, near Pontypool.

Unfortunately, Michael Blackmore passed away during the early stages of the project. However, suitable illustrations can be found amongst his extensive catalogue, and we have happily contributed royalty-free copies of the Blackmore images which we own – having been an avid collector of his work for some years.

Michael’s ability to capture an historical Mon & Brec scene in all its detail, is unmatched. It was borne out of an intimate knowledge of the subject matter, married with an eye for detail that came from his experience of working as a lithographic printer.

The panels that are already in place, between the villages of Gilwern and Llanfoist, depict the early days of the canal. Short extracts from the Canal Company minutes are included, to describe the nature, context and scale of the operation, as well as to introduce one of the central characters of the 'story' - canal engineer Thomas Dadford Jr. Find these panels at the following locations: Gilwern Car Park, Gilwern Basin, Govilon (Bridge 100) and Govilon Wharf (opposite Wharf House, near bridge 97).

Panels are also planned for Watton Wharf tramway, Watton limekilns, Brynich aqueduct, Llangattock limekilns (near our boathouse), Talybont rail crossing, Ashford tunnel South, Llangynidr locks, Heron’s Rest marina, Gilwern Basin, Llanfoist, Goytre Wharf and Pontymoile Basin. 

A number of specialist businesses are involved in this project, which is managed by Gareth Kiddie Associates. The panels were designed by Girl & Boy Studio and manufactured by Pryorsign, while local blacksmith Peter Downey created the bespoke plinths. The project was commissioned by the Canal & River Trust working in partnership with Brecon Beacons National Park, with grants from the Sustainable Development Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

You’ll find more Michael Blackmore illustrations at our boathouse, on our website and in the limited edition book we have produced.

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