New Boat Trips for Taunton

Residents and visitors in Taunton now have a new way to travel, following the launch of a boat service along the canal.

Named ‘Future Perfect’, the boat was officially launched by the Mayor of Taunton Deane at Bathpool, Taunton recently.

The boat has been built to a traditional design and is beautifully finished with varnished wood, it can carry 12 passengers and is virtually silent thanks to its sustainably powered electric engine. Funding for Future Perfect has been provided by the BIG lottery with contributions from Somerset County Council, Project Taunton and SWDT.

Future Perfect will take trips in and around Taunton throughout the summer. It currently runs on the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal starting from Creech St Michael and SWDT plans to start trips on the River Tone from Taunton in the near future.

Talking about the boat, SWDT Director Alec Hay, said “We are delighted to have taken delivery of Future Perfect and are grateful to all those people who voted for our project in the BIG Lottery television competition. We hope that they will come and enjoy a cruise with us soon.”

Ian Franklin, Project Director for Project Taunton, said “This boat is a great asset for the community as it will allow many more people to access the waterways around Taunton. Families and individuals will be able to enjoy gentle cruises on the water, seeing the local countryside and wildlife from a completely new perspective, while schools and groups will be able to charter it for education and study trips.”

Lasting about 20 minutes, boat trips run at weekends from 10am until 4pm.  Tickets for adults are £3 and children are £2 (charter information available on request).

For more information visit www.swdt.org.uk or call Alec Hay at SWDT on 01823 443034.