Two tubs of trash…

What had been intended as a Club #GoPaddling event turned into a solo trip by Club Chair Steve Rayner, who set out on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal at 7.15am on Sat 25 May to see how far he could get in a day, while collecting litter on route. Here’s what he achieved:

Beginning in Brecon…

Brecon Canal Basin 7:15am
Brecon Canal Basin 7:15am

First tub of trash deposited in the bins at Brynich – mostly collected from the bank of the canal alongside the road in Brecon…

Trash tub 1 at Brynich Lock 8:20am
Trash tub 1 at Brynich Lock 8:20am

Swift progress to Talybont-on-Usk: some trash was too large to pick-up…

Unusual Trash near Talybont 9:30am
Unusual Trash near Talybont 9:30am

Time for a tea-break at Talybont, then on through Ashford Tunnel…

Light at the end of Ashford Tunnel 10:30am
Light at the end of Ashford Tunnel 10:30am

Brief wheeled portages around Llangynidr’s five locks…

Portage at Llangynidr Locks 11:15am
Portage at Llangynidr Locks 11:15am

A late lunch at Llangattock, arriving at Gilwern Bridge 104 after a total 30km…

Get-out at Gilwern 3:00pm
Get-out at Gilwern 3:00pm

Where my second tub of trash was deposited – great to see so little litter all the way from Brecon to Gilwern but very satisfying to play even a small part on the fight against plastic…

I used a Scoolr 32” folding litter-picking tool, purchased from Amazon, which worked quite well (the jaws opened wide and gripped firmly, but could have done with a longer reach), my paddling ‘trug’ with a black-bag insert for collecting trash and my trusty Wenonah Prospector 16 (not the fastest on flat water, but easy to manoeuvre and plenty of space for litter-picking duty).

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