The Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal Trust

The Hereford and Gloucester Canal follows an almost entirely rural course for 34 miles through the glorious countryside of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. The Trust aims to restore the Canal into a fully navigable waterway.

Although much of the Canal has been filled in and in places has disappeared without trace, a surprising number of lock cottages, wharf buildings and bridges can still be seen.

The Canal Trust has gained national recognition of its success in working in partnership with developers and Local Authorities in order to secure the future of the restoration for the whole community.

Working with the Waterways Recovery Group, the original canal basin at Over, where the Canal connected with the River Severn, has been reconstructed. This was the largest all volunteer canal restoration project in the UK in 1999-2000.

Regular volunteer restoration groups work at various sites along the length of the Canal both restoring and maintaining the land. These sites include: Over Basin, Vineyard Hill, Llanthony Lock, Moat Farm, Oxenhall, Yarkhill, Kymin East and Aylestone Park.

To ensure the line of the Canal is not obstructed in the future the entire Canal corridor is protected in the Local Authority plans. In Hereford, new bridges have been built at Roman Road and Hereford Retail Park. Other bridges at Hereford, Monkhide, Dymock and Oxenhall have also been restored.

When completed, it will rank as one of the most attractive cruising routes in the country. But the Canal is not just being restored for boaters, as most visitors to canals are not boaters, but people who come on foot, just to enjoy being near this beautiful and peaceful waterway.

Passing through unspoilt countryside, this Canal will provide recreation for tourist and locals alike, whilst providing a natural habitat for a large variety of wildlife. Historians enjoy a step back in time to when the canal was a commercial route. Engineers show interest in the remaining and restored structures that made it all possible. Cyclists, anglers, hikers all come to enjoy the Canal.