There is no better way to experience a canal than from the water. The Montgomery Canal provides a number of opportunities for you to experience the canal afloat, even if you do not have your own boat.
Apart from the Friends of the Montgomery Canal canoes located at Canal Central in Maesbury, all of these are provided by third parties, so please do check with them directly about their suitability for your needs.
On a narrowboat
As well as bringing your own narrowboat to the Montgomery Canal, there are other ways to experience the Monty from a narrowboat.
At the visitor centre at Llanymynech Canal Wharf, the George Watson Buck narrowboat makes weekend trips on a short, landlocked part of the canal during the summer. The George Watson Buck is wheelchair accessible. Find out more here: Llanymynech Canal Wharf
You can also get on the water on a Heulwen Trust boat from near Welshpool. The trust is a charity which aims to bring enjoyment and pleasure to less able or vulnerable children and adults.
Canoeing
Seeing the canal from a canoe is a real pleasure as you get an almost fisheye view of the water and surrounding countryside.
You can get on the Monty near Maesbury Marsh on one of the Friends of The Montgomery Canal Canadian style canoes, with paddles and life jackets, available for hire at £10.
The canoes are available for use from Canal Central, Maesbury Marsh, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 8JG. Please call: 01691 652 168 or email: enquiries@canalcentral.co.uk for details and booking.
If you have your own canoe and the appropriate waterways licence, you can launch your canoe at a number of points along the canal. Most of these have rubber over the canal bank to make launching easy, but in some place you may need to take your canoe out of the water to go through locks and bridges and this might be over steel or masonry.
The Canal & River Trust have a useful guide to boat access points on their website here. https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/refresh/media/thumbnail/24049-slipways-on-montgomery-canal.pdf
If you live locally, it may also be worth getting in touch with Shropshire Paddlesport and Welshpool Canoe Club to find out more about canoeing in the local area.
