Somerset, England

Langport put-in

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Launch — Pontoons with access ramps, canoe steps and a slipway serve the Langport riverside frontage, added when the Langport River Project reopened the reach for canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and trailboats.

Parking — Cocklemoor Car Park, run by Somerset Council, is free with 24-hour access and no height restriction, with 168 standard bays and 7 disabled bays.

Access — The put-in is reached from Bow Street in Langport town centre; a riverside path runs from Langport to Huish Bridge. No gate, barrier or booking requirement is recorded, and access is free.

Season — Oath Lock's sluice gates, which bound this reach downstream, close from 1 April to 1 December, penning water upstream through the paddling season.

Regulations — No Environment Agency craft-registration scheme applies to the River Parrett; the EA's unpowered-boat registration covers only the River Thames, Anglian Waterways and Medway Navigation. The Environment Agency is this reach's navigation authority, from Oath Lock upstream to Thorney Mills Bridge Lock.

Langport put-in sits on the River Parrett's north bank in the town centre, on the 7.6-mile stretch of non-tidal river that the Langport River Project reopened for canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and trailboats, together with short sections of the River Yeo and River Isle. The Environment Agency is the navigation authority for this reach; Langport Town Council owns and maintains the riverside land, having bought it from the Environment Agency in 2016.

The Great Bow Bridge, at the Bow Street crossing where the put-in sits, dates from 1839, when the Parrett Navigation Company demolished its nine-arch predecessor to let larger boats pass upstream to Langport. The Grade II listed Warehouse at Great Bow Wharf, built for Stuckey and Bagehot, stands on the riverbank there.

Otters, kingfishers, herons and cranes are recorded along this stretch of the Parrett.

The Duchess of Cocklemoor, a restored 1908 ferry now running electric, makes pre-booked trips from Cocklemoor and may be met on the water.

Nearby

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Kitchen at the Wharf

Café at Great Bow Wharf, about 70m from the put-in.

Art Tea Zen

Independent café on Cheapside in Langport, about a third of a mile from the put-in.

Thorney Lakes Caravan & Camping Park

Touring caravan and camping park near Muchelney, open 1 April to 31 October, about 2.3 miles from the put-in.

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Conditions to check

Lock

Oath Lock, at the downstream end of this reach, is a pair of sluice gates rather than a passable lock, marking the tidal limit; portage into the Sowy River is possible near the sluice.

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Lock

Thorney Mills Bridge Lock, a disused half lock, is the upstream terminus of this reach.

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Other

This reach lies within the Environment Agency's 'River Parrett (upper) from South Perrott to Thorney' flood warning area.

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Other

The river falls only around a foot per mile between Langport and Bridgwater, so it drains slowly and floods readily in winter and on high tides.

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Other launches nearby

1 launch within 334m

334m east

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