The Council Highways depot in Pontardawe Road, Clydach has stood empty for over a year now. The section fronting on to the Pontardawe Road is up for sale. The rear of the yard, however, which backs onto Capel Road has special significance for the Swansea Canal. Under the concrete runs a pipe which carries the canal the 120 metres from the back of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church towards the Vale Inco Works. Not just the canal is buried but so too is Lock 7 of the original canal.

John Evans,  the man who buried that lock in 1973 for the then Glamorgan Council, came back out of retirement recently to help us rediscover it.

For some time the gates of the yard along the towpath have been opened to allow cyclists on route 43 of the Sustrans National Path access through the yard.  Now, with the help of the Canal and River Tust, Sustrans and the Swansea Council we have been given a chance to do far more to regenerate the area. The City and County of Swansea is generously gifting to the Society this section of the canal. Our long term aim is to restore the lock and the 120 metres of canal. Out first aim however will be to restore the canal towpath to its original line to a standard suitable for cyclists and walkers.

In order to obtain the necessary funding for the towpath we need to demonstrate support from local residents and other towpath users. To this end we have set up petitions in the local area and online.  Please sign the petition on the site below.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/ClydachTowpath