Great Western Canal

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My track, 26.1 miles

The goal - to traverse the whole of the Great Western Canal Country Park cycle route on Jenny's bicycle before it changes hands, to explore the canal beyond the Country Park, and to buy some carrots for Sunday's dinner. Click here if you are interested in some canal history.

OpenTopoMap showing hill contours

So I cycled to Tiverton (6 miles) to the terminal canal basin which is strangely situated on the side of a hill. In its hay-day when used to transport goods by barge - how did they man-handle the goods from this terminus to where-ever?

Canal basin, Tiverton

Being a canal with no locks for the 11 navigable miles, the tow path is of course level and thus ideal for cycling. Being a Saturday there were lots of walkers and a few other cyclists which slows one down a tad, but altogether very enjoyable.  As my cell-phone was strapped with insulation tape to the bike frame and thus somewhat inaccessible, I took no photos till I got to the other end.

The other end of the 11.42 navigable miles

Plaque at the other end, click to enlarge

Just before the other end is a short tunnel (40 yards) which the tow path and thus I circumnavigated. The final other end was once the first (Lowdwells) lock since Tiverton. The first part of my mission complete, my next was to investigate whether the footpaths that follow the now largely dry remains of the canal from here to Taunton were navigable by bicycle. The short answer is "no"...

OS 1:25000 map

I got as far as Greenham - along the way once sinking to wheel hub depth in mud and many times pushing nettles and brambles out of the way whilst hardly balancing between hedgerows either side and finally hauling the bike over a style in Greenham. The continuation of the footpath there appeared even more formidable as so instead I detoured slightly to wash myself and bicycle in the river Tone and then returned on metalled roads via Whiteball to the A38 and thence home (8.75 miles including the difficult footpath).

One day maybe I'll drive to Greenham, park and explore the footpaths on foot, as there are what promises to be interesting remains of boat lifts, an aqueduct over the Tone and locks on the way. Although making it all the way to Taunton and back might be a tall order!  For a complete walker's map see here.

Oh - and I forgot the carrots. So, after hose-spraying the remaining mud off the bicycle, I tootled off to the nearby Co-op store thus drying the bike and acquiring said carrots in one operation.