For most of its currently (2018) navigable 35 miles length Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal canalrivertrust.org.uk, accessed 10 March 2019 it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural character and tranquillity belies its original purpose as an industrial corridor for coal and iron, which were brought to the canal by a network of tramways and/or railroads, many of which were built and owned by the canal company.