Industry........

................in the countryside.

Next Saturday we will be walking this part of the Montgomery canal so Mrs DD and I had a little stroll to get some practice in.

There are many signs of industrialisation moving into the countryside along the way..

The first photo is of the last remaining chimney from the lime kilns in Llanymynech. Following the cycle and canoe part of the trip next week, this is where we will start the walk to Welsh Frankton where the canal joins the Llangollen canal.

At the turn of the century there was a demand for finer lime than had been produced so far for industry and farming, so the Hoffman Kiln was built on this site. The chimney is almost all that is left to be seen.

The second photo is again all that remains of one of the bridges built for the long-closed Cambrian railway which ran along here on its journey from Oswestry to Welshpool and beyond. It was built not only for passengers, but to carry the limestone quarried in nearby Llanymynech.

And thirdly, the meeting point of the canal, railway and the tramway which brought the limestone down from Lord Bradford's quarry to be transported onwards for various uses.

The canal is dry and derelict along this stretch but it is the hope of many, including the Montgomery Canal Trust, to see it open, navigable and used again.

I wonder if we will see it. Maybe a few more triathlons to go yet.