The team at Malswick are in the throes of the building of a 600-metre stretch of canal next to the B4215.
Since planning permission was gained last November considerable preparatory work has been done including installing a 450mm concrete culvert to allow a stream to run under the future canal. A larger, 1800mm, culvert is in the process of being built to take a larger watercourse, with four out of the five 6-metre-long pipes being set in position on the weekend of 11th and 12th June.
We have the Waterways Recovery Group (WRG), who are part of the IWA (Inland Waterways Association), holding a three-week camp between 2 July and 23 July, with up to 13 volunteers each week (many with specialist skills) attending. They expect to complete the large culvert installation and works surrounding it, including blockwork chambers.
The rest of the camp will be commencing the excavation of the canal channel, digging out significant amounts of spoil and repositioning that where needed to fill dips. This should enable the possibility reopening this section of the canal to be a realistic short-term aim and give opportunity for walking along a new part of the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal.
See our YouTube Channel for video footage of the work that has occurred.
More to follow as the work progresses.
