{"id":12635,"date":"2022-12-09T00:56:19","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T23:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12635"},"modified":"2022-12-09T11:12:29","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T10:12:29","slug":"neath-canals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12635","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Neath Canals\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\u00a0Neath Canals\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

This is an easy walk in the Vale of Neath, following the Neath Canal and back along the Tennant Canal.<\/p>\n

The river Neath is known to have been navigable to Neath town bridge for sea going ships since Roman times. The Neath canal was preceded by several smaller canals connecting industrial sites to the river. In 1790 it was decided that a canal from Pontneddfechan to Neath would be of public benefit. Construction started in 1791, one of the building contractors was imprisoned over financial irregularities in 1794, and it was completed in 1795. For the first 60 years of its existence the canal prospered and in 1845 a \u00a3100 share was worth \u00a3350. As much as 200,000 tons of coal was carried annually, as well as iron, ironstone, fire\/clay bricks, silica, lime, gunpowder and building stone. The opening of the Neath and Swansea junction canal (Tennant canal) in 1824 led to traffic being diverted, as Swansea had better shipping facilities. When the Vale of Neath railway opened in 1851, canal trade dwindled and in the 20th century the canal closed. It was maintained for the supply of water to industry, but navigational structures (locks) were abandoned and became derelict.<\/p>\n

Restoration began in 1974 with the formation of The Neath and Tennant Canals Trust. Both canals are owned by private companies who have lost their income from selling water so there is little money for maintenance, and they are wary of others working on the canals because of insurance liabilities. The Trust is limited to work approved by the canal owners which is often just litter picking. They want to see a master plan created which would preserve the canals and promote them for well-being and tourism.<\/p>\n

It was a wet day and we set off in full waterproof gear. As we began our walk along the Neath canal, we puzzled over what looked like a dog\u2019s kennel on the opposite bank of the canal \u2013 a cheap duck\u2019s house? Then we walked past a huge gas depot \u2013 every type of canister and gas you could imagine.<\/p>\n

South of Tonna is the Neath canal Depot where there was a smithy, workshop, wood seasoning shed and sawpit as well as the lock keeper\u2019s cottage and stables. In its heyday it would have been extremely busy with lock gates being built and repaired, boats maintained and horses which towed the barges being cared for. Some of the buildings are still standing. The man living in the cottage obviously has a sense of humour as there were several figures on the land past the house including skeletons and large cats sprawling on tree stumps. Ducks and geese swam peacefully on the canal.<\/p>\n

Soon we arrived at the 13th century, church of St Illtyd. The last time we walked here we saw a bride arriving at the church by barge. Sadly, this would be impossible now as the canal is overgrown and not navigable.<\/p>\n

The present St Illtyd church is built on the site of a much older church and probably the location of a hermit\u2019s refuge. The tower of the church is Norman but the actual church dates to the time of St Illtyd, centuries before the Norman conquest. St Illtyd\u2019s was the parish church for nearby Neath until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. The present church was rebuilt in 1859. CADW restored it in 2005\/6, the final part of the restoration being to paint the outside of the church white with a solution of lime and tallow just as they did in the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n

At Tonna we saw the river Neath. The canal passed through several tunnels, and we walked along what felt like narrow paths at its side. One of the tunnels was quite long so very dark on this cloudy day. Another had an ornate metal bridge over it and fascinating reflections of the ceiling and sides in the water.<\/p>\n

After this our path became narrower until we came to an area where there were several small bridges across the canal, a rusted-out barge, and some derelict locks. Here we crossed to the Tennant canal. We planned to lunch here, but the pool was overgrown and the ground wet. Someone explored and we went to a small beach on the river Neath with an excellent view of the Aberdulais aqueduct, viaduct and lockhouse. The river was full, and we watched the water swirling around the arches and the weir as we ate. In 2020 Storm Dennis damaged the aqueduct overwhelming the low arches but the Inlands Waterways Association with the help of the Neath and Tennant Canals Trust formulated a plan in 2021 to save the aqueduct.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The weather was a bit brighter now and the remainder of the walk was delightful with reflections of trees in the canal and leafy walkways.<\/p>\n

Walk 6m 170ft. Map OS165<\/p>\n

\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Neath Canals\u00a0 This is an easy walk in the Vale of Neath, following the Neath Canal and back along the Tennant Canal. The river Neath is known to have been navigable to Neath town bridge for sea going ships since Roman times. The Neath canal was preceded by several smaller canals connecting industrial sites to the river. In 1790 it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-3hN","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4962,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4962","url_meta":{"origin":12635,"position":0},"title":"St. Mary\u2019s Scarecrow Festival","author":"Alan Williams","date":"16th September 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A poem to celebrate St. Mary\u2019s Scarecrow Festival. \u201c The Scarecrow\u201d by Walter de la Mare \u00a0 All winter through I bow my head Beneath the driving rain; The north wind powders me with snow And blows me black again. At midnight \u2018neath a blaze of stars I flame with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "St Mary's Parish Church News"","block_context":{"text":"St Mary's Parish Church News","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7781,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7781","url_meta":{"origin":12635,"position":1},"title":"July\u2019s Letter From Jon","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th June 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"July\u2019s Letter From Jon Dear Friends I am writing this letter on Friday 18th June and like many I have been listening to the announcement of the Welsh Government and the relaxation of the lockdown. Like many I was listening in order to ascertain when I would be able to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "St Mary's Parish Church News"","block_context":{"text":"St Mary's Parish Church News","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14655,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14655","url_meta":{"origin":12635,"position":2},"title":"Brecon Beacons \/ Bannau Brycheiniog – Craig Cerrig Gleisiad","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th September 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Brecon Beacons \/ Bannau Brycheiniog Brecon Beacons \/ Bannau Brycheiniog Craig Cerrig Gleisiad\u00a0 We parked near Forest Lodge cottages and set off along Sarn Helen, the 2000-year-old Roman road which runs from North Wales to Neath. The route would take us around Craig Cerrig Gleisiad Nature Reserve, Fan Frynych, climbing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture6.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":505,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=505","url_meta":{"origin":12635,"position":3},"title":"Pontneddfechan and Penderyn","author":"Wenvoeadmin","date":"6th June 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We started from Craig y Ddinas a towering stone wall which translates as \u2018Fortress Rock\u2019. The car park was busy and groups of adventurers were donning wet suits and crash helmets ready for \u2018gorge walking\u2019 activities in this area famous for its beautiful waterfalls. We kept to the southern side\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/a-JUNE-W2-IMG_4830.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/a-JUNE-W2-IMG_4830.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/a-JUNE-W2-IMG_4830.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/a-JUNE-W2-IMG_4830.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7284,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7284","url_meta":{"origin":12635,"position":4},"title":"Kenfig Walk","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th February 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Kenfig became a National Nature Reserve in 1989 and an SSSI in 1950s. Inland from the beach is a complex landscape of dunes and wetlands covering about 1300 acres. It is home to many rare species of plants, insects, birds and animals. Kenfig is one of the wettest dune systems\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_1716-2002-kenfig.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_1716-2002-kenfig.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_1716-2002-kenfig.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14948,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14948","url_meta":{"origin":12635,"position":5},"title":"Brecon","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th December 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Brecon We started at the Canal Basin, home to Brecon theatre and car park, although you must pay there is a caf\u00e9 and good toilets. The theatre was built near the site of the town\u2019s racecourse in 1996. Theatre in Brecon goes back to 1699, after the restoration of Charles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12635"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12635"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12639,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12635\/revisions\/12639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}