THE VOLUNTEERS WHO operate the George Watson Buck narrowboat on the Montgomery Canal in Llanymynech have taken the difficult decision to suspend weekend boat trips during 2026 due to factors outside their control.
But have confirmed that the Visitor Centre will still be open at weekends offering light refreshments, canal exhibition and gift shop.
Graham Deakin, chairperson at Llanymynech Canal Wharf explained:
Not taken lightly
“This decision hasn’t been taken lightly, but we didn’t want to promise trips that we might not be able to deliver for our visitors.
“The situation does though give us an opportunity to refurbish our boat during the summer months when it is hopefully drier, warmer and with longer days. We have long planned to make 2026 a year to raise funds to refurbish our historic and unique boat, the only narrowboat built by JCB, so we are now launching a campaign to ask 2,026 people to give a fiver to help us complete a major overhaul of the boat this summer—2,026 people to give a fiver
“We recently received a generous donation for £500 towards refurbishment from The Cabin in Llandrinio so we are looking to use that to help us improve the boat for future generations of visitors.
“Our popular Visitor Centre and exhibition will remain open to welcome visitors who want light refreshments and to find out more about the Montgomery Canal.”
Historic stable block
Based at the Llanymynech Canal Wharf in the Heritage Area in Llanymynech, the Visitor Centre is in a historic stable block and is an ideal spot for locals and visitors to the area to find out more about the heritage and wildlife of the Montgomery Canal. The wharf is run by volunteers from the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust charity.
A small exhibition outlines the history associated with the Montgomery Canal which was built to carry limestone from local quarries as well as passengers and agricultural goods. The Centre also has a number of second-hand books and small gifts for sale – all proceeds and donations go towards running the Centre and keeping the George Watson Buck ship shape.
Added Graham Deakin:
“We will continue to offer visitors a space to buy light refreshments and ice creams at weekends from Easter until the end of September and we are upgrading our souvenir shop to give visitors more to experience by the canal.
“We are a small, friendly group here and we’d love to welcome new volunteers to come and find out how they could help.
“We are aiming to install new windows and toilet on the boat as well as replacing the internal cabin cladding. The work is likely to cost £10-20,000 so if we can recruit local tradespeople and volunteers who would like to become part of this project, it would make it much more manageable.”
The Visitor Centre adjoins the Llanymynech Heritage Area and is now open on Saturdays and Sundays from Easter until the end of September. Opening hours are 1.00 – 4.00pm.
If you are interested in helping in the restoration of the George Watson Buck narrowboat, please call at the Visitor Centre when it is open (above) or email