A Day in Maesbury

We stay a whole day in Maesbury – walking down to the end at Gronwen wharf and then beyond to see what restoration work they have been doing.

Here’s Canal Central – a cafe and shop plus a campsite
Also home to the horse drawn boat – here being visited by the mobile farrier
And the wee boat for the horse – it can pulled either way and has fittings for the rudder at either end.
Looking back to the Navigation and the service station . . . this used to be a major wharf, the closest the canal gets to Oswestry
And in colour
A very nice and new service station – toilets and showers
And part funded by the EU
And on down the canal towards the end – there’s a lift bridge to operate first
And then there’s Gronwen wharf – to the right is the winding hole and beyond the final bridge – No 82
Makes it quite clear. However we did hear of a boater who reversed his boat all the way down this section!
Plenty of water down here, so it won’t be long before we see boats here.
This is the last bit – damned up, with 4 cygnets trying hopelessly to reunite with mother.
Bridge 84 and beyond is the newly restored channel. Not sure what the big pipes are for?
And beyond this . . . back to the wild unrestored canal
I clambered over some scaffolding to snap the next stage – restoring a big winding hole at Crickheath wharf – it’s no good just letting more boats down if they can’t turn round and go back!
A marvellous afternoon tea back at Canal Central – proper loose leaf tea, in a pot plus a pot of hot water. And cake!