Towpath team triumph on the Monty
IN BEAUTIFUL dry weather, the second September work party of Shropshire Union Canal volunteers produced an amazing completion to what seemed an impossible task in August.
The 330m length of towpath has been boarded with parallel lines of shuttering to retain the stone base. This has been top dressed with finings of stone dust and whacker plated to consolidate it.
Large stones have also been applied to the metre above the block paved channel to complete the distance up to towpath level.
Finally soil was added onto the stones and on either side of the new towpath to encourage the growth of vegetation.
The Canal & River Trust deadline for completing the towpath, and shaping and lining the channel, was the beginning of October. The clay dam that has been retaining thousands of gallons of water in Crickheath Basin was due to be removed during the first October work party using a large digger from the offside.
Progress has been made at an astonishing pace over recent months, due in no small part to new volunteers arriving, including a 16- year- old student undertaking part of his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award with the society. CRT intends to fill the channel with water to test it in November, with a view to opening the canal for navigation next Easter. The Heritage Lottery Funding was due to expire in October, adding to the pressure to complete the work on time.
Advanced planning is taking place for the next project beyond Crickheath Bridge. The preliminary work of constructing a compound site and fencing has begun and main channel work will begin in 2023 to link with the new Schoolhouse Bridge, which hopefully will be reinstated by the Restore the Montgomery Group by next year.