Plans for 2026 mark a significant step forward in the restoration of the Montgomery Canal, with the channel between Crickheath Bridge and Malthouse Bridge scheduled for completion and preparatory work continuing for the next section at Waen Wen Basin.
In November 2025, Canal & River Trust contractors carried out tree clearance at Waen Wen. This work represents an important early stage in developing the design for this section of the canal. Waen Wen lies beyond the current restoration site in the Shropshire Gap and includes a large basin which, in time, will become the next winding hole beyond Crickheath Basin — the current limit of navigation connected to the national canal network.
The final phase of site clearance will involve stump removal, planned for 2026 once ground conditions have dried sufficiently. This work will be undertaken by volunteers using a 13-tonne digger fitted with a root hook. Following clearance, ground investigations and water testing will begin to inform the detailed technical design. The design phase is expected to take two to three years, by which time restoration work to Malthouse Bridge should be complete.
The final design will address not only the technical requirements for waterproofing the channel but also the placement of moorings and plans for re-vegetation. Environmental, ecological, and heritage considerations will remain central throughout.
After extensive ecological assessments over the past 18 months, volunteers cleared vegetation and scrub between September and November, leaving only the larger trees. These were felled by specialist contractors in accordance with the Forestry Regulations 1979. Due to the dense canopy and soft ground conditions — worsened by recent heavy rainfall, including Storm Claudia — trees were carefully removed using controlled lifting and lowering techniques aligned with the canal. Timber from the felling was reused as temporary tracking to prevent machinery becoming bogged down.
Felling was completed in three days. All material was drawn along the channel into several large stacks, which were promptly processed using a whole-tree chipper. Chipping took just over two days, with a small remaining section at the southern end to be completed shortly.
There is also good news regarding towpath access. The Canal & River Trust plans to install a new access ramp from Long Lane down to the towpath at Schoolhouse Bridge. While reconstruction works continue, access is currently diverted south of the works compound. Once the compound is removed, a direct ramp beside the bridge embankment will be installed. In the meantime, the towpath remains fully open under the bridge, and the Montgomery Canal Restoration Society has made excellent progress improving the towpath surface as far as Malthouse (Waen Wen) Bridge.
The Montgomery Canal was breached near Welsh Frankton in 1936 and officially abandoned in 1944. Over subsequent decades, different sections dewatered at varying rates depending on ground conditions. Where the canal bordered pasture, grazing kept the channel relatively clear. However, at Waen Wen, trees gradually colonised the channel. Local residents recall the area holding water long after the breach, and some of the trees removed were estimated to be up to 45 years old. Trees at or below the future water level were removed, while those above — including on the towpath embankment — have been retained.
