Hiab hire and haulage in Totnes
Totnes runs up a hill from the River Dart, and the climb is the whole story. Fore Street becomes the High Street and keeps rising, narrowing as it goes, with the East Gate arch spanning the road partway up.
It is a town where a great deal of what we do is simply a consequence of the fact that a lorry cannot get where the load needs to be.
Access
The hill, the arch and the market
The East Gate arch spans the street and traffic does pass under it, but it is a single narrow opening and the street above it is narrower still. In practice anything going into the upper town is a lift from wherever we can legally stand rather than a delivery to the door.
Market days fill the centre completely and are worth avoiding for anything substantial.
The riverside at Baltic Wharf and the industrial areas on the flat are far more straightforward, with proper access and room to set up.
The work
Riverside, renovation and trade
The river side of town brings boat and marine work, and the yards there are used to heavy vehicles.
In the town itself it is mostly renovation: Totnes has a lot of old buildings being worked on, and steel, timber and materials all have to get up a hill that defeats most delivery vehicles.
- Boat and marine work along the Dart
- Steel and materials into renovation work in the old town
- Lifts over buildings into gardens and yards above the street
- Containers into yards on the flat ground by the river
- Farm and estate work in the surrounding South Hams
The lorry
What turns up in Totnes
One vehicle: a 30TM HMF hiab with 10 metres of reach on a cheesewedge body, carrying up to 10 tons. It brings the load and lifts it into place, so there is no second machine to arrange and nobody waiting about at either end.
Questions
Common questions about Totnes
- Can you deliver to a property up the High Street?
- Usually by lifting rather than by driving to the door. Above the arch the street is narrow enough that working from the nearest safe standing point is the practical method, and ten metres of reach covers a good deal of it.
- Which days should I avoid?
- Market days, when the centre fills up. For anything substantial in the old town we would suggest an early start on a quieter day.
Nearby
We also cover
Some of these are over the county line, which makes no difference to us: we work both sides of the Tamar and there is no surcharge for crossing it. Each is labelled with the county it is actually in.
Devon
Newton Abbot
A railway town that turned into south Devon's main industrial centre.
Devon
Ivybridge
A38 town at the foot of the moor, with the easiest access in the South Hams.
Devon
Dartmouth
Steep, narrow and reached by ferry — one of the most demanding towns we work in.
Devon
Paignton
Torbay's flatter town, which makes it considerably easier to work in than Torquay.
Devon
Kingsbridge
At the head of the estuary in the South Hams, down some of Devon's narrowest lanes.
Or see every town we cover in Devon.
Enquiry
Get a price for a job in Totnes
Tell us what is moving, roughly what it weighs, and how far it has to go from where a lorry can stand. That is usually enough for a straight answer.