The Grand Western Canal Country Park and Local Nature Reserve meanders for 11 and a quarter miles through beautiful countryside and quiet villages between the market town of Tiverton and the hamlet of Lowdwells (near the Somerset border).
The park features: Horse drawn barge trips, Cafés, Canal themed play park, Visitor centre, Boat hire, Marina moorings (non residential), Gift shop, Public toilets, Picnic sites, Car parks
The canal’s story covers over 200 years of fascinating heritage, with many of its original features and buildings still surviving. Many people know the park locally as the ‘Tiverton Canal’. However, the Canal is probably best known for the horse drawn barge, Tivertonian, run by the Tiverton Canal Co. that has been taking visitors for a leisurely cruise for more than 40 years.
Owned by Devon County Council and managed as both a Country Park and a Local Nature Reserve, the park is a haven for wildlife as it offers a range of habitats including woodland, hedgerows, open water and ponds.
A well surfaced towpath adjacent to the Canal, provides ample opportunities for walking, running and cycling. Rangers have installed lots of benches throughout the park, to provide ideal places for visitors to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Families visiting the park can learn about the Canal’s history in our interactive Visitor Centre or enjoy playing on the Canal themed Play Park at the Canal Basin. Alternatively, if you’re venturing further along the Canal, then why not enjoy a picnic at one of our many picnic sites or have fun at the Sampford Peverell Trim Trail.
Activities such as boating, canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddle-boarding are all popular on the canal. The park also offers a quiet and relaxing venue for angling, and is especially noted for its summer tench fishing. Please note: You will need to purchase a permit in advanced to do these activities within the Country Park.
The Grand Western Canal forms part of the West Country Way Cycle Route (NCN3) which runs from Bristol to Padstow in Cornwall.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/grandwesterncanal/
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Map from the Second Edition OS Map on Devon County Council's Environment Viewer
History
Plans for a Grand Western Canal were born out of an 18th century idea, by engineer James Brindley, to link the Bristol and the English Channels. If successful, the Canal would have allowed shipping to avoid long and perilous journeys by sea around the Cornish peninsula. It also promised to better connect the heart of Somerset and Devon to the outside world.
An initial 11 mile section of the Canal was opened in 1814 between Tiverton and limestone quarries at Westleigh. However, the project had run in to financial problems. Building costs had escalated as engineers were forced to use steep embankments and deep cuttings to negotiate the rolling Devon countryside.
It was not until 1838 that the next section of the Canal to Taunton was completed. By this time hope of the Canal reaching the English Channel had been abandoned.
In the 1840s the Grand Western Canal enjoyed its one brief period of profitability when it was busy carrying coal and limestone. However, the coming of the Bristol to Exeter Railway brought competition and signalled a downturn.
In 1865, with its trade declining and losses mounting, the Canal’s eastern section from Taunton to Lowdwells was sold and then abandoned. The limestone trade kept the remaining Canal open until 1925 when persistent leaks led to the damming-off a section near Halberton. Apart from a local lily-harvesting business, the Canal was then left unused.
The Barrie family harvested lilies along the canal between the early 1900s and the 1960s. In the 1960s, with the future of the Canal hanging in the balance, local people saved the day!
By the 1960s the Canal’s life looked to be coming to an end. Plans were drawn-up to fill in a portion of the Canal in Tiverton, and use the land for residential development. These threats caused local people to act. A ‘Save the Canal’ campaign was fought and won.
In 1971 Devon County Council took on ownership and declared it a Country Park. In the years since, investment in dredging, repairs to the Canal and improvements to its visitor access have helped make it what it is today: one of Devon’s most popular countryside attractions.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/grandwesterncanal/history
Explore Devon The Grand Western Canal Country Park is a popular place to enjoy a flat, easy walk in the countryside, with the opportunity to stroll near villages or to get away from it all and explore the quieter sections beside the northern half of the canal.
The canal towpath is a public right of way that runs beside the canal for the full eleven and a half miles. The towpath has been extensively resurfaced although there are still some sections that can be muddy in the winter. Access points are located throughout the length of the Country Park.
The trail passes through a gentle agricultural landscape with some lovely views and several small villages. The path is flat and the walking is easy.
https://www.exploredevon.info/activities/walk/long-walks/grand-western-canal-4/
Canalplan The Grand Western Canal is a narrow canal and is part of the Waterways of Mainland Britain. It runs for 10 miles and 6½ furlongs from Lowdwells (which is a dead end) to Tiverton (which is a dead end).
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 7 feet wide. The maximum headroom is not known. The maximum draught is not known.
Notable features of the waterway include: Waytown Tunnel
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides No 7 - River Thames and Southern Waterways
https://canalplan.uk/waterway/u9dp
Inland Waterways Association The Grand Western Canal that remains in water is managed as a country park stretching between Tiverton and the Somerset border.
https://www.waterways.org.uk/waterways/discover-the-waterways/grand-western-canal
Wikipedia The Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Lands End. An additional purpose of the canal was the supply of limestone and coal to lime kilns along with the removal of the resulting quicklime, which was used as a fertiliser and for building houses. This intended canal-link was never completed as planned, as the coming of the railways removed the need for its existence.[1]
Construction was in two phases. A level section, from Tiverton to Lowdwells on the Devon/Somerset border, opened in 1814, and was capable of carrying broad-beam barges, carrying up to 40 tons. The Somerset section, suitable for tub boats (which were about 20 feet (6 m) long and capable of carrying eight tons) opened in 1839. It included an inclined plane and seven boat lifts, the earliest lifts to see commercial service in the UK. The lifts predated the Anderton Boat Lift by nearly 40 years.
The 11 miles of Devon section remains open, despite various threats to its future, and is now a designated country park and local nature reserve, and allows navigation. The Somerset section was closed in 1867, and is gradually disappearing from the landscape, although sections are now used as a footpath. It maintains a historical interest and has been subject to some archaeological excavations.
