A new nature trail alongside the Grand Western Canal has been officially launched today (Tuesday 7 April).
The launch event, led by our Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, took place during an Easter fun day event.
To celebrate the wide variety of native wildlife that make the canal their home, the trail consists of 26 oak posts along the towpath featuring images of plants or animals that can often be spotted nearby. These images on the top of the posts are rubbing plaques, so that visitors can take rubbings along the way.
The posts were installed by the Canal Rangers and volunteers over the past couple months.
Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said:
“The Grand Western Canal Country Park is the perfect place for families to explore more than 11 miles of the Mid Devon countryside together, and this new nature trail is a great addition. Hopefully this trail will help encourage visitors to venture to parts of the canal they may not have visited before. It’s also a great way for families to look out for the diverse range of wildlife found within the Country Park, and studies show that when people can identify a species, they often develop a more respectful and appreciative relationship with it.”
The Inland Waterways Association, whose West Country Branch has a Waterway Regeneration Fund, has funded the majority of the project, with The Friends of the Grand Western Canal also contributing.
Ray Alexander, of the West Country Branch of the Inland Waterways Association, said: “The Association is delighted to have been able to support the creation of the new nature trail along the towpath of the Grand Western Canal by providing funding towards it. This is one of a number of successful community projects on the canal undertaken by the canal management team in the past few years which the Association has been pleased to support through its South West Inland Waterways Regeneration Fund.”
Councillor Simon Clist, Vice-Chairman of the Grand Western Canal Joint Advisory Committee and County Councillor for Willand and Uffculme, said:
“The nature trail is a great idea which came about from the Canal Manager and one of the Rangers who each have children that weren’t always keen to go for a walk. However, they’d both found that a rubbing trail was great at enthusing children to go for a walk to find and collect the rubbings. Hopefully that will be the case with this trail. For those who don’t want to collect all of the rubbings in one day, it’s a good excuse to come back again and visit another day.”
Councillor Neale Raleigh, County Councillor for Tiverton East, said:
“The Canal is also a Local Nature Reserve and County Wildlife Site which is home to a vast array of wildlife. The posts, which are part of this new nature trail, will hopefully prompt people to look out for the species on the pictures. Some may be easier to spot than others but it’s a great way to encourage people to be more eagle-eyed and take the time to see more wildlife as a result.”
The Nature Trail is being supported by the Canal Basin businesses – the Tiverton Canal Co, the Duck’s Ditty floating café and the Canal Tea Rooms and Garden. Paper pads and crayons are available to buy for a small fee.
A leaflet showing the locations of the posts is available for free in the Canal Visitor Centre and on the Grand Western Canal webpages.