Montgomery Dinghy Dawdle facts for kids
The Montgomery Dinghy Dawdle was a special event held every year from 1985 to 2011. It was created to help people learn about and use the Montgomery Canal. It also aimed to show a big problem: some road bridges over the canal had been built too low. This meant boats couldn't pass underneath them.
The event involved boats that didn't use engines, like dinghies, canoes, and coracles. In the early years, people would stop traffic on the roads and carry their boats over the low bridges. This helped show everyone the problem. Later, it became harder to manage these road crossings safely. So, the event changed to focus on parts of the canal without low bridges. It became more of a fun social gathering than a protest. Because of this change, the original organisers, the Shropshire Union Canal Society, decided to stop the event after 2011.
However, a group called the Friends of the Montgomery Canal took over. They changed the event into a triathlon. This new event includes cycling, walking or running, and paddling. It now covers the entire length of the canal!
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History of the Dinghy Dawdle
The first Montgomery Dinghy Dawdle happened in 1985. Its main goal was to show how low bridges stopped boats from using the canal. It also wanted to prove that the canal could be a great place for boats. Mary Awcock, who started the event, said it was important to show that a fixed-up canal would be good for local people and tourists.
The very first event took place near Gallowstree Bridge in Welshpool. This bridge, carrying the A483 road, was too low. About 30 boats joined in. When they reached the bridge, volunteers stopped the cars. Then, all the boats were carried across the road! People waiting in their cars were given leaflets. The event was a big hit and was even featured in local newspapers and on the radio.
Campaigning for Bridges
For the next three years, the events focused on Gallowstree Bridge and Whitehouse Bridge. Both were low bridges near Welshpool. It seemed like the events were working! In late 1988, Mary Awcock thought the 1989 Dinghy Dawdle would be the last. She believed there would be no more low bridges to carry boats around.
Her hope came from good news: the British Waterways Board had gotten a special law passed. This law allowed them to fix up the entire canal. Money was even available from the European Union. But a lot of money was needed, and the Welsh Office had to approve it. Sadly, the Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Walker, said no in December 1988.
So, the fifth Dinghy Dawdle was not the last one. More campaigning was still needed! Gallowstree Bridge was finally rebuilt in 1992 so boats could pass under it. David Suchet, a famous actor, officially opened it at the eighth event. Whitehouse Bridge was rebuilt in 1995. By the 1996 Dinghy Dawdle, boats could easily go under it.
Celebrating Progress
By 1997, the Welshpool part of the canal was looking good. The organisers started holding future Dinghy Dawdles on other parts of the canal. They still wanted to highlight low bridges. But sometimes, they also celebrated how much progress had been made.
For example, the 2002 Dawdle celebrated the reopening of Brynderwen Lock. In 2003, the event was held on a newly reopened section of the canal. The 2001 event had to be cancelled because of a serious animal disease called foot-and-mouth disease.
In 2004 and 2005, the events returned to the Welshpool section. The goal was to remind people that boats bring a canal to life. In 2005, 65 boats took part, paddling from Welshpool to Burgedin. The next year, Lembit Öpik, who was a Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire, opened Newhouse Lock. The event's goals stayed the same: to show how useful a working canal is and to raise awareness about needing to fix bridges. In 2010, there were still ten bridges that needed to be raised. Five of these carried the busy A483 road.
The Triathlon Begins
The 26th and final original Dinghy Dawdle took place in 2011. Bad weather meant 14 people couldn't join, but 29 boats still took part. In its later years, it became harder to safely manage carrying boats across roads. So, the event usually stayed on parts of the canal where this wasn't needed. This meant it became more of a fun social gathering than a way to campaign.
Because of this, the Shropshire Union Canal Society decided to stop holding the event. But the Friends of the Montgomery Canal stepped in! In 2012, they took over and turned it into a triathlon. This new event includes cycling, running or walking, and paddling (instead of swimming). It covers the entire length of the canal.
At first, the course involved cycling from Newtown to Welshpool. Then, participants paddled from Welshpool to Llanymynech. Finally, they walked to Frankton. By 2015, the event had changed a bit. The first 17 miles (27 km) from Newtown to Pool Quay was done by bike. The next 10.5 miles (17 km) was for walking or running. This part included a section of Offa's Dyke and crossing Vyrnwy Aqueduct. The last 7.5 miles (12 km) was for paddling. Boats had to be carried around three locks and the Graham Palmer Lock. This lock is named after Graham Palmer, who helped start the Waterway Recovery Group. In 2015, over 230 people took part, with 170 completing the full 35 miles (56 km) distance!
Earlier Events
Using small boats to show the canal's problems wasn't a new idea when the first Dinghy Dawdle started. The canal had been officially closed by a law in 1944. It had actually been closed since 1936, when a break in the canal happened near Frankton Junction and was never fixed.
However, a trip along the whole canal was organised by Bill Thisthlewaite right after World War II. He was part of a new group called the Inland Waterways Association. Two boats took part. They traveled along the Llangollen Canal and even got a ticket for the Montgomery section at Ellesmere. This was amazing because the canal was officially closed! A horse and cart were used to carry the boats around the broken section.
Later, there were seven "Dinghy Rallies" held at Welshpool between 1970 and 1976. These were part of a one-day event in September. They had stalls and a fairground, plus races and competitions for canoe and dinghy owners. Bigger boats were encouraged to come to the last two rallies. Many boats were brought to the canal on trailers, which created good publicity. British Waterways, who owned the canal then, also helped organise two more rallies in the early 1980s.
How the Event Was Organised
The Shropshire Union Canal Society organised the Dinghy Dawdle. They got help from the Friends of the Montgomery Canal, which is part of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust. British Waterways also supported the event.
The event involved boats without engines, like dinghies, canoes, and coracles. These boats traveled along the canal. At some points, where bridges were too low, the boats had to be carried across the roads.
The 2010 Dawdle took place on Sunday, June 13, 2010. It started at Berriew and ended at Welshpool, with a lunch stop at Belan Locks. Derrick and Mary Awcock, who started the first Dawdle in 1985, welcomed the boaters. The local MP, Glyn Davies, started the event. This was the 25th time the event had been held, and over 70 boats took part!
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