Water supply issue grounds popular boat trips this summer

A popular local attraction has conceded defeat and announced that it will be taking a year off.

The volunteers who operate the George Watson Buck narrowboat on the Montgomery Canal in Llanymynech have taken the difficult decision to suspend weekend boat trips during 2026, after it was revealed that there were issues over water supply to the border area of the waterway.

The Montgomery Canal is currently undergoing millions of pounds-worth of work to re-connect it with the national canal network, and a considerable project to construct a new bridge at Carreghofa has resulted in water levels dropping.

“There are a number of issues that have restricted the water supply to Llanymynech, the main one being the very welcome works to construct the new bridge at Carreghofa,” said Michael Limbrey, Chair, Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust.

But the ‘year-off’ will enable volunteers to carry out essential renovation work on the boat, and the Llanymynech Canal Wharf Visitor Centre will remain open.

Graham Deakin, Chair at Llanymynech Canal Wharf, said: “This decision hasn’t been taken lightly, but we didn’t want to promise trips that we might not be able to deliver for our visitors.

“The situation does though give us an opportunity to refurbish our boat during the summer months when it is hopefully drier, warmer and with longer days. We have long planned to make 2026 a year to raise funds to refurbish our historic and unique boat, the only narrowboat built by JCB, so we are now launching a campaign to ask 2,026 people to give a fiver to help us complete a major overhaul of the boat this summer.

“We recently received a generous donation for £500 towards refurbishment from The Cabin in Llandrinio so we are looking to use that to help us improve the boat for future generations of visitors.

“Our popular Visitor Centre and exhibition will remain open to welcome visitors who want light refreshments and to find out more about the Montgomery Canal.”

Based at the Llanymynech Canal Wharf in the Heritage Area in Llanymynech, the Visitor Centre is in a historic stable block and is an ideal spot for locals and visitors to the area to find out more about the heritage and wildlife of the Montgomery Canal. The wharf is run by volunteers from the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust charity.

A small exhibition outlines the history associated with the Montgomery Canal which was built to carry limestone from local quarries as well as passengers and agricultural goods. The Centre also has a number of second-hand books and small gifts for sale – all proceeds and donations go towards running the Centre and keeping the George Watson Buck shipshape.

“We are aiming to install new windows and toilet on the boat as well as replacing the internal cabin cladding. The work is likely to cost £10-20,000 so if we can recruit local tradespeople and volunteers who would like to become part of this project, it would make it much more manageable,” added Graham.

The Visitor Centre adjoins the Llanymynech Heritage Area and is now open on Saturdays and Sundays from Easter until the end of September. Opening hours are from 1pm–4pm.

If you can be one of 2,026 people to donate a fiver, you can do it here .

If you are interested in helping in the restoration of the George Watson Buck narrowboat, call in to the Visitor Centre or email news@themontgomerycanal.org.uk.