Section Ynys-yr-Allor to Glynneath
| Ynys-yr-allor Lock Half way between Aberclwyd and Ynys-yr Allor the towpath rises briefly before returning to the original level. At this point there was originally a small length of canal "Cnel Bach" which ran towards Cwmgwrach. Cwmgwrach coal and iron was brought over a bridge across the river and then loaded onto the canal. This canal fell out of use when the Vale of Neath Railway was built. |
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| Ynys-yr-allor Lock Ynys-yr -Allor means "meadow of the alter" indicating that there may have been a religious site here originally. |
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| Maes Gwyn Lock. The original house, from which the lock takes its name, is no longer standing. To reach the small car park in the picture, we have come over the bridge shown below the lock. This bridge is typical of the many canal bridges being almost semicircular in construction and requiring a slow crossing. |
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| Maes Gwyn
Lock. |
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| Pwllfaron / Ysgwfra Lock The last of the five that have been renovated. It stands close to Pwllfaron House, named after the colliery of that name which was owned by the Neath Abbey Ironworks in the early 1800`s. A wharf was built on the canalside to the left to load the coal for transport down the canal. |
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| Pwllfaron
/ Ysgwfra Lock |
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| Pwllfaron
/ Ysgwfra Lock A small stream runs in front of the trees from the right and is carried across the canal, above the actual lock, by a narrow Iron channel. |
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| Llyna Lock |
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| Out of the Neath Valley, this picture
is taken from Craig y Llyn (the
highest point in Glamorgan), looking over Rhigos towards the Brecon Beacons.
A tram road from Aberdare and Hirwaun ran across the Common from right to left and dropped down to the Neath Canal at Glynneath. The Glynneath Incline was the second oldest steam operated railway incline (1803) and utilised a Trevithick high-pressure steam-winder. It was half a mile long. |
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| Section 1 - Up to Aberdulais Section 2 - Aberdulais to Resolven Bankhouse Section 3 - Crugau Lock to Aberclwyd Section 4 - Ynys yr Allor to Glynneath |
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