All walks › Newport and the Gwent Levels
Newport and the Gwent LevelsThe Fourteen Locks
Staircase of locks lifting the canal fifty metres in seven hundred, one of the most concentrated flights of engineering in Britain.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 45
- Ascent
- 70 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Shape
- There and back
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Walk the flight from the canal centre and continue along the towpath. Surfaced with a steady gradient alongside the locks.
Worth knowing
- The Cefn Flight raises the canal fifty metres in 740 metres, which is extraordinary.
- Most of the locks are derelict and their restoration is a long-term project.
- The canal centre explains how the interdependent pond system worked.
What you’ll see
The lock flight and its ponds, the canal, and views over Newport and the Severn.
Background
The Crumlin Arm opened in 1799 to carry coal and iron down to Newport docks, and the flight was its greatest engineering challenge.