Bridgwater & Taunton Canal — Local services in North Petherton

We enjoyed a pleasant visit here cycling along the side of the canal towards Taunton. The tow path is part of the National Cycle Routes and I would say is reasonably suitable for all abilities. Loose stones on the path can be a little unnerving and there are slopes up to the crossing roadways. Wonderful lock gates to view on route. Much flora and fauna including kingfishers which dart past you!…Tea rooms at Maunsal Lock which we didn’t stop at but appears to be popular and also has public toilets available. The tow path does narrow in places… some cyclists go extremely fast which we witnessed…they appear to ring their bell or sound a horn as they come up behind you to give you time to get out of the way. Pedestrians take priority so please be polite!..we are “leisure cyclists” so just went along at our own pace…very enjoyable …disability access depending of disability possible…access to tea rooms is fully disability friendly with disabled toilet available. Parking requires some research as it depends on where you start your...

Lovely walks along the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal - easy stroll along the canal side toe path. It's a recreational place.

We started off on this leg from the Fair Field in Bridgwater Somerset, went along, under the M5 and along out towards 'the Zoylands' ...

We went past 3 or 4 WWII Pillboxes which formed part of 'the Taunton Stop Line', to try and stop part of an inland river invasion. Of course, these pillboxes are overgrown, but you can see in to some of them. Sadly a few are covered in the scourge of graffiti.

You could walk all the way to Taunton, but we didn't get that far. We'll carry on next time. It's a pleasant walk, no climbing involved. A pub or two along...

Great strip of water full of fish for anglers and kingfishers. Also seen herons, cormorants, egrets, ducks (mostly malady but also seen mandarin), swans and moorhens. In summer it's a great place to spot dragonflies. So take your camera but not just for the wildlife. For those who can get up early or willing to stop out a little later it's a nice location for sunrises and sunsets. Also with the canal being lined by trees and having several bridges crossing the canal there are opportunities for interesting reflection...