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Bridgwater & Taunton Canal Winding through 14½ miles of Somerset countryside, the canal offers perfect cycling conditions with traffic-free and scenic towpath. Rivers have always provided a means of transporting goods from place to place, but where no natural water course existed, man-made routes were created culminating in the Canal Age, which dates from the the 1760's to the 1830's. The Bridwater & Taunton Canal was a comparative latecomer, opening in 1827 as part of an ambitious scheme to create a route between Exeter and Bristol, avoiding the treacherous journey round Land's End. Coal and iron from South Wales were brought to the towns and villages of inland Somerset via the River Parrett. Bridgwater was once ranked fifth amongst Britain's ports, as schooners and sailing barges filled the riverside docks. Originally built to allow ships on the River Parrett a safe haven, the docks now welcome smaller craft from the canal. The rich life of canals has shaped the landscape and left a legacy of architectural and engineering features, and the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal is no exception, with a brick tunnel, road bridges and twelve structures which were originally swing bridges. During World War 2 the swing bridges were removed or changed for defence purposes, but many have now been restored. One interesting aspect of the canal towpath is the Somerset Space Walk, a true scale model of the Solar System with the planets placed along the canal towpath. Within the 14½ mile length of the Canal, the one same scale is used for both planets and distances between them. There are no figures to work out, just the chance to cycle through the universe. |
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