Early events involved stopping the traffic and carrying boats over a road where a low bridge prevented using the canal.
The Montgomery Dinghy Dawdle was first held in 1985, and was seen as a way to highlight the problem of bridges which had been lowered, thus preventing navigation, and to show the public that the canal could be used by boats.
Mary Awcock, the founder of the event, stated at the time that "It is important to demonstrate that a restored canal will provide a valuable local and tourist amenity."
The events appeared to be having the required impact, and in late 1988, Mary Awcock announced that the fifth Dinghy Dawdle, to be held in 1989, would be the final one, as there would be no more road bridges around which boats needed to be portaged.
Her optimism was caused by the fact the British Waterways Board had obtained an Act of Parliament undoing the abandonment order of 1944, and allowing them to reinstate the entire canal.
[1] However, because of the amount of money involved, the approval of the Welsh Office was required, and this was refused by the Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Walker, in December 1988.
Thus the 2002 Dawdle included the reopening of Brynderwen Lock by Janet Lewis-Jones, a board member at British Waterways, and the 2003 event was held on the newly-reopened stretch of canal from Gronwen Wharf to Queen's Head.
[4] By 2015, the composition of the event had been changed somewhat, with the first 17 miles (27 km) from Newtown to Pool Quay completed on a bicycle, along part of the Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury cycle route.
They were part of a one-day event, held in September, which featured stalls and a fairground, in addition to a range of races and competitions for owners of canoes or dinghies.
It involved unpowered craft such as dinghies, canoes and coracles travelling along the canal, and being carried across roads at some points where bridges had been lowered.
After the boaters were welcomed by Derrick and Mary Awcock, who instigated the first dawdle in 1985, the local MP Glyn Davies started the event.