THE French existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre once wrote, “Hell is other people!”

Yet it seems to some that hell is a stretch of the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal.

As one of the most scenic, enchanting, historic, and relaxing places in the local area, it’s difficult to imagine how any part of its 35 miles could be conceived as hellish.

However, this spot of graffiti spotted on the stretch between Gilwern and Llangattock last week seems to suggest otherwise.

The rolling hills, the sprawling meadows, the sense of timelessness, and the pretty barges all lined up in a row do not really fit in with any classical or textbook definitions of hell.

Yet as in all things, taste is subjective.

The picture was shot just before Heron’s Rest Marina by a bemused dog walker, who told the Chronicle, “I walk this stretch a lot. It’s a lovely area. When I first noticed the graffiti on the sign. I had to squint to make it out because it was so small. It did make me chuckle when I read it. It’s probably just kids messing around or someone on a barge who finds this part of the canal particularly hard to navigate. It’s hardly hell, though! Newport is in the other direction!”