Bridgwater and Taunton Canal Cycle Route Overall Rating:
(Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of)
The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal is a 14 mile, mostly traffic-free cycling route. As you’d expect from a canal route, it’s very flat. The route takes you through some stunning Somerset countryside, with the added idyll of a canal route.
If taking children along, do ensure at least one adult is a competent swimmer.
Surface on the Taunton & Bridgewater Canal
The route surface is tarred in places and quite good, while it others it has a self-compacting gravel surface. The gravel surface is mostly good to ride on, but after rain you will undoubtedly benefit from having mudguards on your bike.
Also, after rain, some parts of the towpath can be extremely slippery. Where the NCN 3 route diverts from the canal, after rain, follow that diversion.
Bikes
Most kinds of bikes can use the route, but trikes and some cargo bikes will get stuck, as the towpath isn’t particularly wide. Under some bridges, the towpath is too narrow for trikes of most cargo bikes.
Refreshments
You can get refreshments at Taunton station, at the North Newton Café, at the Lock Inn, at the Maunsel Lock Tearoom, at The Boat & Anchor Inn (on the canal) and at Bridgwater station.
Toilets
Toilets are available at Taunton station, at the North Newton Café, at The Boat & Anchor Inn (on the canal) and at Bridgwater station.
Hilliness
Being a canal route, its very flat.
Ratings
Points of Interest
Consider visiting the Museum Of Somerset in Taunton. Steam enthusiasts will enjoy visiting the West Somerset Railway.
There’s also the Somerset Space Walk, which is an outdoor art installation. By Maunsel Lock, there’s a model of the sun, and radiation in both directions are scale models of the planets in our solar system.
Routes in Somerset
- Bridgwater and Taunton Canal traffic-free cycle route
- Bristol and Bath Railway Path
- Two Tunnels Greenway
- The Strawberry Line cycle route
Barriers
There are barriers along this route, and they will prevent most cargo bikes and all trikes from getting through. Even tandems will struggle at some of the barriers.
Child friendliness
Because of the proximity to water, and the narrow towpath under bridges, the route isn’t well suited for very young children, and older children may need close supervision.
Social safety
Large parts of the route can be very isolated.
Safety from traffic
If starting and ending at the stations, the route includes some on-road cycling. Also, in the middle there’s a section where the route diverts along a normally quiet lane.
Forecast for the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
What the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal looks like
Video
This video shows part of the route, to help you get a better idea of what it’s like to ride.
Getting there
The route shown on the map below starts at Taunton train station, and ends at Bridgwater station, so you can easily return to the start by train. It also makes for a great car-free day out. Both Bridgwater and Taunton are on the main train line. with direct trains to Bristol, Paddington, Birmingham and even Aberdeen.
Do yourself a favour and read my Bikes On Trains guide first though.
More Routes
To find more routes, click this link.
Interactive map for the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal
You can download the GPX file from the map below, simply by clicking the GPX button. Hovering over the elevation profile will show the elevation for that point along the route, in both metres and feet. It will also show the gradient.
And finally…
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