Montgomery Canal Conservation Management Strategy (1.2MB PDF)

As a more informal resource, the canal is a venue for guided walks and a range of other canal events. These include
links to the annual Cambrian Transport Festival at Welshpool and a regular events programme run by the Friends of
Montgomery Canal. There are also numerous permanent display panels at a series of key locations along the canal, in a
continuing development programme.
Overall, however, the assessment of the canal for educational purposes would have to conclude it is currently either one
of unfulfilled potential, or an opportunity waiting to be grasped.
3.6.6 Summary of current activity
For overall visit estimates, the 1995 British Waterways and 1996 UKDVS Count results are still appropriate. The results
for the Montgomery Canal (Table 3.7) estimate an average density of usage of 19,000 visits per km per year, across all
activities. By comparison, the Kennet & Avon Canal has an estimated density of use of 55,000 visits per km per year
and the Llangollen Canal 25,000.
Table 3.7. Montgomery Canal – Visits per year.
Section Kms Informal Visits Anglers Cyclists
Frankton Junction – Maesbury 10 216,000 1,000 12,000
Maesbury – Pant – Llanymynech – Arddleen 15 126,000 1,000 7,000
Arddleen – Pool Quay 5 61,000 1,000 3,000
Pool Quay – Welshpool – Brithdir 12 357,000 3,000 19,000
Brithdir – Berriew – Garthmyl – Newhouse 10 180,000 4,000 10,000
TOTAL 52 940,000 9,000 51,000
3.6.7 Expected demand
Estimates of potential towpath usage are mainly based on an analysis of population catchment data, combined with
surrogate data for other BW canals. The surrogate waterways that have been chosen are the Llangollen Canal, for its
proximity and similar population catchment, and the Kennet & Avon Canal. The Kennet & Avon is considered appropriate
as a surrogate because it provides a good example of visits to a recently restored canal which is well marketed.
The experience of other canal restoration and regeneration projects suggests that the restoration project could increase
visit numbers by anything between 50% and 100%. This, for example, has been the experience in Scotland after the
completion of the Forth & Clyde/Union Canal restoration between Glasgow and Edinburgh. That would imply a postrestoration
density of use for the Montgomery of between 27,000 and 36,000 towpath visits per km per year. Evidence
from the Kennet & Avon indicates the subsequent growth is likely to be between 2% and 3% per year.
These forecasts are compatible with the demographic data. A density of 30,000 visits per km per year, for example,
though above that of the Llangollen, is still only 63% of the rural sections of the Kennet & Avon. This is consistent with
the population catchments in the 20 mile corridor, where the density of the Montgomery is 61% of the Kennet & Avon
rural corridor.
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