The Monmouthshire And Brecon Canal.

The Monmouthshire &Brecon Canal is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its 35-mile length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The "Mon and Brec" is actually two canals - the Monmouthshire Canal from Newport to Pontymoile Basin (including the Crumlin Arm) and the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal running from Pontymoile to Brecon.

This received its Act of Parliament in 1792. It originally ran from the docks in Newport to Pontnewynydd. Built in 1799, a series of 14 locks rise 160ft (49m) in just half a mile - the first part of a rise of a total of 447 feet through 42 locks. The maximum width for vessels was 9 foot 2 inches with a draught of three feet. There was a branch at Crindau which rose 358 feet through 32 locks to Crumlin (including the Cefn flight of Fourteen Locks). The engineer for this difficult and expensive route was Thomas Dadford jnr. It was opened to Pontnewynydd in 1796, and to Crumlin in 1799.

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