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Monday 16 July 2018

For Peace and Quiet

We go back just as the England game was finishing and caught the end on the radio before heading off. We decided to head back for the Weston Branch as it was so peaceful, as against the road noise here at Queens Head.

The main visitor moorings are by the Shropshire Paddlesport Canoe Club, but there is another set of bollards through the two bridges. Mind you it is no quieter. I was perplexed that by a canoe club the height of the bank was raised, as it would make it difficult to get in and out of them. I then noticed that the address of the club house was actually the 'Old Barge House', so it had obviously been a wharf in the past.

Over the road from the boat house is a building that looks suspiciously like a warehouse. It also seems that despite the new corrugated iron on the Canoe Club building it has actually been a Grade II Listed building since 1987.

At Heath Houses, as well as the Packet House building, is the only turn-over bridge on the Montgomery Canal. From here to Newport the tow path does not change sides again. Unlike in most other places where the track is ccobbled for giving the horses grip, this one seems to be grassed. I suppose that may well be a later thing though.

The canal passes over the little River Perry on a small aqueduct. It was between here, and the new winding hole a little to the north, that the breech in the canal occurred in 1936 that brought about the closure of the canal. They didn't want to waste any money on a repairs that had no boats using it! Looking at the pictures of the canal restoration it is amazing that there are no trees or bushes about.

The canal is definitely a place full of wildlife in the form of plants and insects. There is plenty of bird life but I didn't see any other mammals. 

We were very pleased to see that we were the only ones at the moorings at the Weston Branch. It was a lovely evening and Macy took full advantage of their being no people or dog walkers and loved being out and about.

After a good exploration Macy is pleased to sit on the sun warmed concrete to take in the cooling air.

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