Tiverton Canal Co . . .
One of Great Britain's Last Remaining Horse-Drawn Barge

Tourism Awards 2023-24 Finalist

When you are looking for things to do in Devon, you could easily spend a day making memories here at Tiverton Canal Co. . As winners of Devon's Best Small Attraction of the Year Awards in 2023-24, there is something here for all the family, whether you love Canal Trips  rowing boats, heavy horses, waterside Bar, Canal walks, local history or just sitting and enjoying the wildlife.

Located in Mid Devon, between Exeter and Taunton, on the banks of the beautiful Grand Western Canal & Local Nature Reserve, we are a truly unique family-owned Canal Living Heritage Attraction. With crew dressed in clothing of a bygone era and with large Heavy Horses (including Shires) at the ready. The Brind family are proud to operate one of the very last remaining Horse-Drawn Passenger Barges in Great Britain!

Experience a truly environmentally friendly Horse Drawn Boat Trip along the stunningly beautiful and tranquil Grand Western Canal country park and local nature reserve.

Or relax with a glass of wine, coffee or ice-cream at the ‘floating-canal-side bar’, the Ducks’ Ditty Cafe-bar. Go shopping at the Canal Gift Shop, for canal art and gifts or Hire a Boat and have a lot of fun exploring the waterway at your own pace with a Rowing boat or Canadian canoe.

The Duck’s Ditty Bar is Devon’s only floating canal side Bar, allowing you to enjoy refreshments al fresco by the water.
The licenced bar also serves barista coffee, loose-leaf & specialist teas. also sandwiches, sauage rolls and cakes, alongside the award winning Marshfield 'soft scoop' Ice cream.

The gift canal shop can be found in a former stable and is where you can pick up a range of gifts and painted canal ware, as well as book tickets for the horse drawn barge trip or boat hire.

The Grand Western Canal is a Country Park and Local Nature Reserve and is one of Devon’s hidden gems. The canal is open all year with free access to a children’s play area with a canal theme and an excellent educational visitor centre with the history of this waterway and its working horses.  

If you're planning a trip to us and you need some other ideas for places to visit in the South West of England, You might find our recent article 'Things to do in Mid Devon' useful.

Have questions about Tiverton Canal Co, or need more information? Please Call Jacquie on 01884 253345

When is the Tiverton Horse Drawn Barge open and what are the trip times in 2024?

We are open From April to October each year. We run horse-drawn canal boat trips to a timetable which varies depending on the season. You can see our current Trips Timetable, here

We are open 5 days a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

We will also be open on Fridays throughout August.

We very much looking forward to seeing you!