Fires of Prometheus

Canal Camps 2015

I help, a little, to restore the Swansea Canal


Supemarket trolley in canal
A lock-full of garbage!

When the WRG couldn't find a leader for a canal camp to be held on the Swansea Canal I was flattered to be invited to fill the gap, backed by Dave Worthington as my Assistant. I'd enjoyed a few days working on the Swansea Canal at Godrergraig in 2012, though the site at Trebanos was very different — a lock in reasonable condition in a village just off the B4063.

Our first job was to begin to empty the lock of garbage and tumbled masonry. This was fun, hard, wet work, though after hauling out about 1m depth of rubbish and a few tonnes of stone we still hadn't reached the base of the structure. We also tidied up vegetation that was encroaching on the top of the lock. Finally we started the task of repointing the sides of the lock chamber. All the time the water that flows rapidly down the canal sloshed around our feet (I think I remember being told that about 20 streams empty into the waterway along its length).

We had a great team, and the local canal enthusiasts provided welcome support. Of the accommodation in a nearby scout hut, my main memory is of a urinal in the gents loo overflowing at 2am and threatening to flood the sleeping area, a situation saved by the fearless leader armed with a mop and bucket...

Canal Camps Introduction