06. Canal and Punchbowl

Parking

Llanfoist Crossing car park

Directions

1. Leave car park and go back to main road. Take the lane opposite, passing through the tunnel under canal.
2. Take path through beechwoods passing two drams and information board on left. Long steady climb, crossing two stiles.
3. Go through gate and keeping to the right go up the field to a stile next to a gate, turn left along path which will take you round to the Punchbowl.
4. Come upon a path along a green lane to a gate, then follow path to left down another green lane, continue to road. Turn left at road. Continue to cross canal bridge then turn right along canal.
5. Follow towpath about ¾ mile to Llanfoist. Take steps down on right and return to car park.

Points of Interest

The Devil's Punchbowl. The Punchbowl is in fact a large pond with a small islet in the middle, originally formed as a glacial cwm. The bowl was dammed to form a reservoir to provide water to the canal. It was once a popular venue for illegal bare knuckle fights. A 1889 fight between David Rees of Nantyglo and William Williams of Brynmawr went on for 42 rounds and lasted an hour and 42 minutes - all for a £10 purse!

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. What is nowadays popularly referred to as the Mon & Brec started life as two separate canals: the Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal, and the Monmouthshire Canal. The 35-mile navigable section seen today is mostly the former. In the 1790s, the Monmouthshire Canal Company received its Act of Parliament at the same time that the Brecknock & Abergavenny was being planned. Following discussions, it was decided to link the two at Pontymoile.

The Monmouthshire Canal, including a branch from Malpas to Crumlin, was opened in 1799 with the Brecknock & Abergavenny extending from Brecon to Gilwern by 1800, finally reaching Pontymoile by 1812. Both canals were supported by horsedrawn tramroads that were mainly used to bring coal, limestone and iron ore from the hillsides. The canal played a significant part in our industrial heritage, connecting Hill’s tramroads to the iron works in Blaenavon and the forges at Garnddyrys.

Though originally constructed to transport coal, lime and agricultural products the canal was used extensively by ironmasters and industrialists as their main transport network, bringing the raw iron ore up the canal from Newport to Llanfoist Wharf and thence by tramroads to the iron works and returning with trams loaded with iron, the finished product. Remains of this heritage can still be viewed along the canal today these include wharfs and lime kilns.

In 1880 the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canals were taken over by the Great Western Railway. Within 35 years, commercial carrying had all but ceased.

The Blaenavon area and a section of the canal were granted World Heritage status in 2000 in recognition of its historical significance.