Tiverton Canal Co

The Wharf, Canal Hill, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 4HX

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating - 355 reviews355 reviews

Add Tiverton Canal Co to your Itinerary

Close window

Call direct on:

Tel01884253345

Tiverton Canal Co
  • Tiverton Canal Co
  • Tiverton Canal Co
  • Devon Hire Boats
  • Ducks Ditty Bar
  • Tiverton Canal Co
  • YouTube Video

Book Tickets Online

Tiverton Canal Co is a truly unique family-owned Canal Living Heritage Attraction, with staff 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 Horse-Drawn Barges in Great Britain!

Located in Mid Devon, near Exeter, on the banks of the beautiful Grand Western Canal Country Park & Local Nature Reserve, it’s an experience not to be missed!

You could easily spend a day making memories enjoying Devon’s historic 200-year-old, 11 mile canal alongside the beautiful Heavy Horses and Horse-Drawn Boat trips. Experience an environmentally friendly boat trip aboard the last horse drawn barge in Devon and one of the very last in Great Britain! Find out more here

Tiverton Canal Co also offers a range of things to see and do, and all at this beautiful location. Relax with a glass of wine, coffee or ice-cream at the ‘floating-canal-side bar’, The Ducks’ Ditty, 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. Make sure to visit the Grand Western Canal Visitor Centre and the Canal Play Park. 

The Duck’s Ditty Bar is Devon’s only floating canal barge café bar, which is permanently moored at Tiverton Wharf. The bar is a genuine artisan coffee house and is fully licenced, allowing you to enjoy refreshments al fresco on the canal bank. The gift shop can be found in a former stable and is where you can pick up a range of gifts as well as book tickets for the horse drawn barge, boat hire and Canadian canoes.

Located in the Canal Basin, next door to the canal Gift Shop, the Canal Visitor Centre was officially opened by local Olympic athlete and canal-lover Jo Pavey, in April 2013. Children will love spending time at the Canal Play Park, which is just a short distance from the Canal Visitor Centre, Tiverton Canal Co.’s floating café-bar (The Duck’s Ditty), Gift Shop and the nearby Canal Tea Rooms and Garden.

For the Horse-drawn barge trips timetable, boat hire charges, Ducks Ditty Bar opening times and Maps, please visit www.tivertoncanal.co.uk

Entrance to the Canal country Park and local nature reserve is free and open all year.

Devon Hire Boats

Rowing Boats & Canadian Canoes For Hire

Tiverton Canal Co offers a range of hire boats available hourly, which include Rowing Boats and Canadian Canoes, The Grand Western Canal supports a rich and vibrant variety of wildlife and interesting things to see. All the hire boats provide a great opportunity for you to get close to nature and explore and canal at your own pace.  

Contact Us: For Information about Boat Hire please contact Jacquie at the Ticket Office on 01884 253345

* Boats Available: From End of May Bank Hol to September. Only when shop/ticket office is Open. Please note last hire 3pm, all boats to be returned by 4.30pm.

End of May Bank Holiday & June:
Open: Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun. 12 noon - 3.00pm.
Closed Mondays (inc. bank holidays) & Fridays

July & August:
Open: Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun. 10.30am - 3.00pm except Saturdays 12 noon - 3.00pm.
Closed: Mondays (inc. bank holidays)

Relax with your friends, Socialise and Enjoy the truly unique and tranquil delights of the Ducks Ditty Bar, which is permanently moored at Tiverton Wharf. You can enjoy light and airy alfresco dining "on the canal bank".  Some say it's the best beer garden in Devon. Come aboard the Ducks Ditty Barge.

Ducks Ditty Bar

The Ducks Bar... 

The Ducks Bar is fully licenced, with a range of Great Wines to tickle your taste buds, available by the glass, or even better by the bottle! Real Ales, Cold Lagers and Ciders including Devon's Sandford Orchards on draught. Gin and Spirits available together with other soft drinks, all served in an old-fashioned barge style!

Barista Coffee / Loose leaf Teas / Food / Ice-Cream...   

The Ducks Ditty is a genuine Artisan Coffee house - Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha or Hot Chocolate, also a range of Loose Leaf Teas alongside tempting sweet cakes & treats we also serve lovely Marshfield Scoop-Ice-Cream. 

* May - Open 12pm to 4pm: Sat, Sun, Tue, Wed, Thur
Closed: Mondays & Fridays (including Bank Holidays)

June & July - Open 12pm to 5pm: Sat, Sun, Tue, Wed, Thur,
Closed: Mondays & Fridays

August - Open 11am to 5pm: Sat, Sun, Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri
Closed: Mondays (including Bank Holidays)

September - Open 12pm to 4pm: Sat, Sun, Tue, Wed, Thur
Closed: Mondays & Fridays

Last Orders: Hot drinks stop half an hour before closing, cold drinks & ice cream served until closing time.

Opening Times

Season (1 Apr 2023 - 31 Oct 2023)

* Dates: 1 April 2023 to 31 October 2023
We are open five days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays. We will also be open on Fridays throughout August.
* Barge Trips - run to Published Timetable. You can see our current timetable here: https://www.tivertoncanal.co.uk/horse-drawn-barge/timetable-and-fares
* Hire Boats & Ducks Ditty Bar – Opening Times vary – Visit our website for details.

View

Close

Map & Directions

Road Directions

M5 to junction 27 to Tiverton, Get on A396, then turn for Canal Hill. (Follow brown tourist signs with a picture of a boat, “Grand Western Canal”).

 

 

View

Close

Public Transport Directions

Visiting by Railway? Tiverton Parkway Train Station is located at Sampford Peverell, 6 miles from Tiverton. See a map of the Canal & Tiverton Parkway Railway Station with Taxi Service

By Bus? We are walking distance from Tiverton Bus Station. It is a half mile walk up to the canal.

View

Close

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating:

4.5 of 5 stars
    • Excellent
      278
    • Very Good
      53
    • Average
      13
    • Poor
      3
    • Terrible
      8

    Recent Reviews:

    • neilgK3113WH
      Magical!
      5 of 5 stars
      17th Sept 2024
      We booked the Serenity Sunday afternoon trip last weekend. Such a peaceful atmospheric experience. We were magically transported back 200 years, and we really enjoyed the tranquility. It was a... Read full review
    • Robert E
      Southampton, United Kingdom
      Not to be missed.
      5 of 5 stars
      18th Sept 2024
      The best canal boat trip we have been on. A great well done to Phil, his family and workers for giving us a very memorable Wednesday afternoon treat. His patter and wit was really great. If anyone... Read full review
    • John B
      Two and a half ours of bliss
      5 of 5 stars
      24th Sept 2024
      What a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon in the Devon countryside floating on water. My friend and I had been planning to go on the Tiverton Horse-Drawn Barge for several weeks... Read full review

    What's Nearby

    1. Blackdown Hills National Landscape

      The Blackdown Hills form a tranquil, beautiful, and relatively isolated landscape on the…

      10.89 miles away
    2. Devon’s Top Attractions

      Everything you need for a great day out in Devon is here. Lotstodo.co.uk is the website…

      11.44 miles away
    3. Exeter Quayside

      Exeter's Historic Quayside is the most attractive area in the city, popular with locals &…

      12.9 miles away
    4. Crealy Theme Park & Resort

      Crealy Theme Park & Resort is the South West’s number one family value day out, home to…

      13.67 miles away
    1. Haldon Forest Park - Forestry England

      Whether you want a gentle stroll or an exhilarating mountain biking experience, there’s…

      17.6 miles away
    2. Powderham

      Immerse yourself in over 600 years of history at Powderham, the family home of The Earl…

      17.89 miles away
    3. Sidmouth Town Beach

      Sidmouth Beach is a beautiful expanse of sand and shingle beach, clean, accessible, and…

      18.63 miles away
    4. Jacob's Ladder Beach

      Jacob's Ladder Beach is a beautiful expanse of sand and shingle beach, clean, accessible,…

      18.63 miles away
    5. The Donkey Sanctuary

      Bring out the best in your herd and make memories that last a lifetime at The Donkey…

      18.86 miles away
    6. Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site Devon

      Running 155km from Exmouth in Devon to Studland in Dorset is the Dorset and East Devon…

      18.9 miles away
    7. EXE Adventures

      EXE ADVENTURES is South Devon's mobile outdoor adventure centre, with a 15 seat minibus…

      19.11 miles away
    8. Budleigh Salterton Beach

      Budleigh Salterton beach is a long pebble beach extending for 2.5 miles along the…

      20.02 miles away
    9. Ashburn Springs

      Ashburn Springs Gym and Pool is the fantastic pool, fitness centre and gym complex at…

      20.03 miles away
    10. Exmouth Beach

      Two miles of golden sand and fascinating rock pools

      20.03 miles away
    11. Budleigh Salterton Cliffs and the Otter Estuary

      The cliffs in the western part of Budleigh Salterton expose the full thickness of the…

      20.08 miles away
    12. World of Country Life

      World of Country Life is over 30 acres of fun for the whole family whatever the weather

      20.1 miles away
    Previous Next
    Peak Hill Sidmouth Countryside
    European Union Leader South Devon Coastal
    Hello.
    We'd love to hear what you think about the South Devon!
    Complete our short survey below to enter our free draw, and be in with a chance of winning a luxury two-night stay in award winning accommodation in Devon.

    Don't Miss

    Don't Miss

    Don't Miss

    Don't Miss

    Don't Miss

    Don't Miss

    Don't Miss

    Don't Miss

    Don't Miss