16miles/
26kms

Grand Western Canal Walk

About this route

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.

Getting Around

The canal basin is located in Tiverton.  Local bus services link the towns and villages along the route of the canal, this allows you to walk a section and catch the bus back to your starting place.  Visit the Travel Devon website for the latest times.

Facilities
Tiverton and Sampford Peverell have all facilities. Car parking is available at both ends of the canal.
Terrain
Flat and easy walking along the canal towpath.
Accessibility
Explore more, click to download pdf
Download

Interesting information

Originally part of an ambitious scheme to link the Bristol Channel with the English Channel, the Canal was proposed as a way for shipping to avoid the long and perilous journey around the Cornish peninsula, and as a route for transporting goods, including coal from South Wales, into the heart of Somerset and Devon. The first section was opened in 1814, but the costs escalated and delayed construction of the next section to Taunton for many years. Eventually it was completed in 1838. For a short time, the Canal was profitable, but the advent of the railway took much of the trade from the Canal and by the 1920s it became disused.

A wealth of structures dating back to the Canal’s heyday can still be found including the Tiverton Basin and Waytown limekiln complexes, 15 road bridges over the Canal (designed by John Rennie) and the 40m-long Waytown Tunnel. Other notable structures include milestones, culverts, wharves, accommodation bridges, an aqueduct and a lock.

The Canal supports a rich and vibrant variety of wildlife and provides a great opportunity to get close to nature.

Photo of the Grand Western Canal with walkers on the tow path
Grand Western Canal by Lewis Clarke

You can explore more in this area

Photo of flowers and grassy banks alongside the Grand Western Canal and tow path
9miles/
14kms

Grand Western Canal

This is a lovely, peaceful cycle route, often along the towpath, beside a tranquil stretch of the Grand Western Canal.
Photo of cyclists on the Tarka Trail alongside the estuary at Instow
105miles/
168kms

West Country Way NCN 3

The route can be ridden in either direction, it takes you through the varied landscapes of the West Country, from
Photo of a quiet lane between trees on the Exe Valley Way
45miles/
72kms

Exe Valley Way

The Exe Valley Way is a long-distance route for walkers exploring the length of this beautiful river valley. The trail
Photo of the Grand Western Canal with walkers on the tow path
3miles/
4.8kms

Grand Western Canal Short Walk

The Grand Western Canal Country Park and Local Nature Reserve meanders through beautiful mid-Devon countryside and quiet villages between Tiverton