Canal closure at Brecon Basin, Mon & Brec' Canal, February 2024
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2024
- Monday 5th February 2024:
After looking on the CRT's website, I saw that scheduled maintenance was being carried out at Brecon Basin, between January and March. This included investigation / repair of leaks, so I imagined this might mean draining the basin of its water - the chance of seeing that prompted me to drive over to Brecon and take a look.
I'd planned on taking the Brompton with me this time, (I know - I keep threatening to do that!), but I was deterred on the day by the weather forecast on BBC's internet page, which showed rain almost all day in Brecon.
As it turned out... hardly any rain fell while I was there! How annoying was that?!
Never mind, I still found plenty to video and talk about (most of it probably gibberish and the rants of an idiot), but along the way I saw some really interesting sights, which I hope you'll like.
Jeff
By the way, if you do enjoy the video, then please consider subscribing - it really helps me to grow the channel!
You can see more of my videos, including my journeys along the canals, and of my Brompton bike at:
/ @gladysthenarrowboat - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Nice to see you at Brecon again as we did visit last October. Also very interesting to see how shallow it is considering it’s the only one I’ve steered a narrowboat on.
Yes, the Mon & Brec' is pretty shallow - and I'm always surprised how many large stones find their way into it - presumably from the banking as it erodes over time. I think steering on the Mon & Brec' is a good test for anyone!
Hi Jeff. I was trying to picture what the canal looked like before it was drained as I imagine it is very picturesque. I'm so envious of those people who own those lovely houses alongside the canal. Anyway, my curiosity was satisfied when I decided to go on Google Earth Pro on my laptop and found that using street view, or in this case towpath view, I could actually follow along the walk you took, even up to that wooden bloke who told you to bugger off. We always appreciate the comedy in your videos by the way 😂. It really is a lovely stretch of canal and well worthy of a Brompton ride. I saw no fish anywhere so I presume they were moved to a more watery stretch unless there are just no fish in there. I'm looking forward to the Aintree visit, it's gonna be great to see how Gladys is coming along. Take care Jeff, and see you on the next installment.
Hi Dave. I love Google earth! When I'm finally on a canal with Gladys, I may use it to illustrate the route I am taking in a particular episode. And though semi retired, I still have occasional jobs where I have to visit a new place - using GE means I can be sure in advance, of my route when I get there.
Yes, I think the CRT takes great pains to ensure the fish are safe. I'm pretty sure there are fish in this canal, though don't ask me what kind. Maybe another viewer might know and comment if they read this.
That wooden chap was very rude, wasn't he? Very ignorant. Possibly in training to be an MP?
Glad you like the comedy - I often have to rein myself in, as the things I want to say might, though funny, not always be appreciated by more serious viewers! But going forward - a few viewers have asked me to video my next holzhausen-build. Now I know that not everyone finds an old geezer with red eyes and bad teeth, piling up wood, to be an amusing way of wasting 20 minutes... so I am devising a cunning plan of making the video a comedy piece by 'inviting' certain personalities to take a turn at building parts of it. e.g., a certain know-it-all Conservative politician who seems more grounded in the 18th century than in modern Britain. Oddly enough, I actually liked him when he appeared on Have I Got News For You - many years ago. So, thanks for the encouraging comments (as always) and your request for more laughs is right up there on my list.
Gladys was looking good yesterday. I have just about finished editing the video - but will polish it a little before uploading for this Saturday. Sadly, it doesn't seem that her completion is as imminent as I'd hoped - but we are inching closer all the time 👍
Hi Dave, in answer to your comment about fish, I have had a message from @dcvariousvids8082 (another regular commenter here), and he knows this canal much better than I do, There are indeed fish😊.
He says "Roach, Dace, Chub, Perch, Eels; less known for the very few Bream, Carp, Pike and the very very few Crayfish. The latter mainly in tributaries. Frogs, Toads and Newts too."
So there you are Dave! And many thanks to you, DC!
It seems then that they were all moved to safety, which is great news. Thanks to DC for the update 👍@@Gladysthenarrowboat
Where the stopper planks are, the bridge over is part of Gasworks Lane. To the right as viewed from the basin and just beyond used to be Brecon’s gasworks.
I was in near Crickhowell while you were walking the towpath. Fully expecting to get soaked, while hedging and coppicing. As it was, there was a light shower for the walk-in, then fine most of the day. Even had a bit of sun with blue sky.
The track in the mud, could possibly be a local dog or cat, though domesticated cats generally stay mud free. But there are otters present in some reaches of this canal. And where a canal is drained, CRT are diligent in moving fish, eels and other vertebrates to the watery section. So there may be more for the gobbling.
What you can’t see where the wooden non-subscribers stand, is what lays beneath the adjacent picnic area. There’s a roadway that skirts away from the towpath for a hundred metres or so. It looks private but is a public road. Which takes the walker below the picnic area and passes by the bottom of the half dozen limestone kilns. The trees behind the picnic area, hide where the filler holes & chimneys used to be. There’s a roost of bats in one and killer thorns everywhere.
Thanks DC. Ah yes, I can remember when gasworks used to be common sights in most towns. Remember those gigantic gasometers there used to be, for storing gas? I could never understand how the gas didn't escape!
Glad to hear that someone else was fooled by the weather DC! Yes, I wondered about dogs, - but certainly some kind of four legged creatures. If I had a better zoom function on the GoPro (or if I'd taken my Nikon SLR, as I'd originally intended), then I might have got a better shot of them. I imagine the fish would be easy prey in much shallower water.
@@Gladysthenarrowboat- Extending gas monitors are predominantly simple things. The lowest wall is essentially two concentric structures. The gap between is a foot, (30cm) or so and filled with a mix of oil and I think emulsified water. The upper dome, if it’s a two-piece gas monitor, is a single walled structure, which rides suspended in the oil-water of the lower structure. This is why, the lower outer ring-wall is always clean, while any upper ring-walls are always a mucky brown.
The lowest outer wall needs periodic painting, as does the highest part of the dome. While the middle part/s are coated and re-coated with oil, as the volume of gas rises and falls.
The top of any intersecting ring-wall, has a circumferential walkway. Each ring-wall has diagonal ladder, which links to that wall’s walkway above. The diagonal walkways are attached to the wall and get immersed in oil with its wall. The lowest ladder is just washed with rainwater and is easy to traverse. While upper ladders which are oil covered, are tricky blighters and more than a little slippery.
With each section greater than two, comes a greater complexity of construction. Requiring a double concentric ring-wall, with its riding diagonal ladder. The concentric walkways remain clear of oil, as they’re outside of any immersion.
When complete and working, there’s only one maintenance entrance-exit to within. This is accessed from the topmost plating. The health & safety protocols for working inside, are a little strict shall we say. I gather not many people have worked inside one. I was told the experience is awe inspiring, creepy & frightening. Dropping tools is one of the no-nos, as it sets of extremely loud echos, which can be harmful to hearing and makes your brain want to exit the cranium. Having to wear a fully hermetically sealed suit, two tethers, one to your nearest co-worker and one to the outside world, plus oxygen tanks and a high access harness. Both reassures the worker of safety and instills a feeling of imminent mortality. Knowing that the hole they squeezed you through to get in, is the only way out, when they winch your limp body out, if it all goes honey-shaped. And then they still have to lower you off the top. The ladders & walkways are 12” or 30cm wide; so it’s a lower off the top or stay up there to become bird food.
Well... what can I say DC? Once again, you've risen to the challenge and amazed me with your knowledge of the most obscure things!
Thanks for the thorough explanation - and the sobering thought / and image of what could happen should Lady Luck throw her proverbial spanner into the works!
The idea of rotting slowly on the top, and being feasted upon by crows etc. must have put many workers off from volunteering!
Great walk along the canal Jeff! Sorry about the Brompton but the weather does look a bit threatening 😮
Thanks Angela - yes, it looked like it might pour down at any moment... but in the end, it didn't! So, I missed out on a bike ride - never fear though, if this present spell of constant rain ends, you'll see that lovely yellow Brompton strutting it's stuff again 👍
I had no idea canals were so shallow. Is that typical of all canals? I was very sympathetic towards my brother in law when he fell in the canal at Newbury but if it was that shallow I will have to re appraise things.
Oh John! Well, while it was shallow, he might also have just disappeared down through the mud - never to be seen again... but I'm sure you effected a speedy rescue at the time. 👍
In my experience, (Llangollen, Middlewich, and the South Oxford canals,) I'd say this is the most shallow canal I've encountered. That said, someone else may know of others which are similarly built.
I have been to Aintree today and seen Gladys - she sends her regards to all her subscribers, and you'll get to see her on video this Saturday 👍
Do you think you would ever take Gladys to the Avon & Kennet one day?
Hmm... it's tempting, as I know the 'K&A' is said to be very pretty. And has the attraction of the Caen Hill Flight - 29 locks in a tightly spaced row. (Just 1 less than the Tardebigge Flight on the Worcester & Birmingham). But getting onto the canal is either via the Bristol Channel or else via London. So it'd be a lengthy journey to reach this canal. But you never know - its something I might think of doing one day!😊
@@Gladysthenarrowboat yes, it’s certainly very beautiful down there, especially on a calm summers evening. I’m not sure I’d want to go down the Severn / Bristol Channel in a narrow boat though ☺️
No, I've no desire to take on the mighty River Severn on a flat bottomed boat! You can take narrowboats on rivers - but you need to take additional precautions and timing your entry /exit on or off a tidal river (subject to the tide-times) is problematic! So, I'd have to go for the via-London option - which means traversing the country by canal first, before reaching the K&A... quite a long job at 2mph (average)!
Mind you, the K&A sounds an attractive option as somewhere I might go to do a video - maybe once the daylight lasts longer 😊👍
Do you intend trying for a mooring somewhere as a base as the only alternative is moving every two weeks & you don't intend being a live aboard.
Good question Annie. No, my intention is to avoid expensive mooring fees - other than at Christmas/New Year when I need to be home for more than 2 weeks. - I will then aim to get to a marina as close to home for that time, so careful route planning will be needed in the weeks beforehand.
In any case, during the winter (November to end of March), CRT relaxes the 2 week rule in some places. Have a look at their website to find out. But at other times, I aim to be a 'semi-continuous' cruiser. So I don't plan on staying anywhere for 2 weeks, - because there's so much of the canal network, and I've waited so long, I want to explore as much as I can! So, no, I won't be buying a permanent mooring of my own... although in the longer term, I might think of doing so, maybe on the Mon & Brecon canal, but it's just an idea for now. Firstly, I just want the boat! So, I'm hoping to get some rough idea of a completion date when I visit Gladys at Aintree tomorrow. 😊
I for one, am looking forward to your future sojourns and exploring vids. Where your presentation can follow more than a day’s walk and or return cycle.
Thank you DC 👍 Yes, while I really enjoy my present 'daytrips', it'll be a different challenge when I video my day to day adventures on the boat! And on pastures new too!