Last week Bill and I took a coach trip to Tiverton in Devon and enjoyed a trip on one of the last horse drawn barges in the southwest. The barge, the Tivertonain has been beautifully painted with traditional canal art using the typical castles and roses motifs and the family who have run the trips for over 40 years obviously love continuing the local traditions.
The whole crew including the dog wear old fashioned costumes. Local Devon ciders are stocked in the bar and you can buy canal themed souvenirs. The skipper told us a lot about the history of the Great South Western Canal, all eleven miles of it. It was built to transport lime from the local kilns to be used as a fertiliser or as a building material. Brindley the horse is named after James Brindley, the engineer who helped with the canal construction.
An amateur photographer who took a photo of a horse pulling the barge won the Counntryfile magazine photography competition a few years ago and it was used as the cover for their calendar.
As we floated through the countryside the skipper asked us to keep quiet for a few minutes to listen to the sound of birds and the water. Passengers could buy duck food on board, so the barge attracted a lot of very hungry waterfowl. As well as ducks, we saw coots, moorhens, seagulls and swans. The area each side of the canal has been made into a local nature reserve. The canal trust also hire out rowing boats.
If you would like to find out more about the history of the canal or book a boat trip click on the link below.
Tiverton
This was our first trip to Devon for a couple of years. I like visiting the small traditional towns and driving through the gentle rolling hills and lush green countryside. I was glad to be able to spend a couple of hours exploring Tiverton.
Tiverton is a small market town in mid Devon. It is situated on the River Exe which also flows through Exeter. Exmoor attracts hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Tiverton is famous for its pannier market where you can buy local products and crafts and its castle. The castle once served as a medieval fortress but is now privately owned. It was not open when we were in Tiverton but the website gives details of open days.
The market hall was full of local produce and people were also selling crafts and collectibles from cabins outside. For a small town Tiverton has lots of independent shops and cafes.
Even scarecrows deserve some time off
There is a river walk along the Exe which seemed popular with the local fishermen.
This post has been added to Natalie’s weekly coffee share. Please visit to find out what other bloggers have enjoyed recently.
Instead of coffee this week I am inviting you to share a Devon cream tea. Jam or cream first. I think it tastes the same either way.
One response to “Tiverton horse drawn barge along the Great Western Canal”
Your trip sounds like a fun and relaxing outing! Looks like you had good weather that day, too. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.