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BIKING (OR WALKING, OR
CANOEING) ALONG 22 Miles of MAINTAINED TOWPath
Along a REMARKABLE RESTORED CANAL through Rural England |
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THIS ARTICLE
FIRST APPEARED IN SUMMER, 2010. |
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An elderly American veteran I met in Switzerland some years ago bristled
as I extolled the virtues and rewards of hiking the Alps. “Not for me,”
he spat after I paused for a reaction. “I’ve seen all I want to see of
Europe on foot fifty years ago during the Battle of Bulge.”
I expect the old GI probably couldn’t be coaxed onto a bike
either. Some folks see picnics. Others only see ants.
This article preaches to picnickers. We postulate that among
the more relaxing and rewarding of activities for any holiday are
excursions by bicycle. We present a sampling of our favorite bike trips
in some of our favorite holiday destinations. Included for each is some
practical info: where to rent bikes, a weather forecast, and where to
get your picnic items. Expect no ants. |
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200 YEARS OF HISTORY:
An engineering marvel of Georgian England, the Kennet & Avon Canal was
built between 1723-1810 to enable commercial shipping to avoid the
dangers of reaching the Atlantic from London by way of the Thames
Estuary and the narrow, stormy, and contested (by French and pirates)
English Channel. The canal connects the Thames watershed at Reading via
its Kennet River tributary with the navigable Avon River at Bristol near
the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel entrance to the Atlantic. The
canal crosses England’s “Divide” at a low point, the Vale of Pewsey,
avoiding the encroaching—and visible—Chiltern, Mendip and Cotswold
Hills. Nevertheless, the construction of a handful of impressive
aqueducts, the boring of several tunnels, and the fitting of dozens of
canal locks were necessary to work the canal route through the hilly
English countryside between Reading and Bath. Despite the completion of
I.K.
Brunel’s parallel Great
Western Railway in 1841, and its takeover of the canal in 1851, |
John Rennie, principal
engineer of
the Kennet & Avon Canal, whose
elegant innovations have passed
the test of time. Portrait by
Sir Henry Raeburn circa 1810. |
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through boats between
London and Bristol continued to |
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use the Kennet & Avon for
another century until the line was broken in 1951. The apparent
commercial end of the line inspired enthusiasts to renovate the
waterway, resulting in a success that has encouraged similar efforts
throughout Britain. |
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Hitting the Bricks: A
vacationing canal boater uses leg power and the raised bricks of the
semi-circular
push-path to close a lock near Foxhanger Wharf on the Kennet & Avon
Canal. The canal's former
towpath (right) has been converted to a nearly flat, dedicated walking
and cycling path that
crosses rural portions of scenic Somerset and Wiltshire counties in
western England.
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TODAY: Following a
grand reopening by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, the K&A has attracted
great numbers of walkers, cyclists, anglers, canal boaters, kayakers,
and canoeists to its tranquil route through the English backwater.
History buffs and picnickers find lots of opportunities to poke
around and relax. Alongside the canal |
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numerous pubs, restaurants, and watering holes |
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have popped up like the weeds they have replaced.
Arguably, the canal has never been busier or more popular than today,
two hundred years after its opening.
TWO ROUTES:
From the canal-side market town of Bradford-on-Avon, bike routes depart
west for Bath and east for Devizes. Both are sections of National Cycle
Route 4 and except for a few short rural road segments stay on the
improved canal towpath. |
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BRADFORD-ON-AVON:
Historic town (pop. Approx. 10,000) near the western border of Wiltshire
on the young River Avon (the Bristol Avon, not the Warwickshire
Avon of Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon). Bradford grew up at a ford
along the river. A Roman villa has been found here. The current town has
Saxon roots. St. Laurence’s Church, along the river west of the Town
Bridge, is a late-Saxon structure built shortly before the Norman
Conquest. The arched Town Bridge dates from the 1600s when it was
widened from a narrow medieval packhorse bridge. Situated on a navigable
river near the wool production ranges of the Cotswolds and the Salisbury
Plain, |
The busy Kennet & Avon
Canal basin by the
lock at once-sleepy Bradford-on-Avon,
with the towpath in the foreground. The
former wool market town has reawakened
with the restoration of the canal. |
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Bradford-on-Avon grew wealthy during the late |
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medieval period as a wool market and mill town. Many buildings
from the 16th and 17th centuries still populate Bradford. When the
Kennet and Avon Canal reached a point just south of Bradford in the late
18th century a new period of prosperity came to the town. Quickly and
quietly the prosperity departed when the canal was replaced by a
parallel railway within 60 years. Bradford went to sleep, only to be
discovered 150 years later as a pristine survivor of an earlier,
prosperous time in Wiltshire. |
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Canal boats moored at
Dundas, the
intersection of the Kennet & Avon Canal
and the out-of-service Somerset Coal
Canal. Here are services for canal
boaters as well as a shop renting bikes
and boats and selling snacks and drinks. |
 is short (about 9 miles from
Bradford-on-Avon) and crosses the canal twice at
two landmark aqueducts
at Avoncliff and
Dundas. From Dundas the bike path follows the towpath
between the canal and its parallel railway by the Avon River. Those
interested in the original canal will want to stop for the aqueducts and
to inspect the K&A’s junction with the former
Somerset Coal Canal at
Dundas. Between Dundas and Bath is the restored
Claverton Pumping
Station which kept water flowing properly in the canal starting in 1812.
Beyond Claverton the canal circles counterclockwise into the
World
Heritage Town of Bath. Those wanting to see
Bath’s Roman spa and
medieval Bath Abbey should stay on Cycle Route 4 when it diverges
west from the K&A through the tunnels of Sydney Gardens to Beckford Road, leading
past author Jane Austen’s
house on Sydney Place to Great Pulteney Street
thence
into the city center. This last part can be heavily trafficked. Care should
be exercised: ride on the left (with traffic) and use the bike lanes
whenever possible.
MILEAGE:
Bradford-on-Avon to Bath: 9mi o/w; 18mi r/t. Plus 2-mile loop in Bath.
Total: 20mi r/t.
TIME REQUIRED:
4-8 hours depending upon tourist time
in Bath and meal stops.
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1. Bradford-on-Avon to Avoncliff Aqueduct: 1.4 miles.
Facilities at Bradford-on-Avon:
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Railway Station: Frome Rd (B3109) ¼ mile N of
canal.
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Bike rental shop: Towpath Trail
(T. T.) Cycle &
Canoe Hire at The Lock Inn, Frome Road
(B3109)
by the canal. Mountain bikes, kids
bikes, helmets & other accessories by
the day
or part day. Canoes, too. Pre-booking
recommended: +44 (0)1225
867187.
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Tourist Information
Office.
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“Barbara McLellan” canal
cruiser: public trips
from Wharf Cottage, Bradford-on-Avon We,
Sa,
Su April through October
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The Lock Inn: Frome Road
(B3109) by the canal.
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Canal Tavern: Frome Road (B3109)
by the canal.
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Canal Side Café: Frome Rd
(B3109) by the canal. |
The Canal
Tavern at Bradford-on-Avon.
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2. Avoncliff to Dundas Aqueduct: 2.85 miles.
Facilities
& Points of Interest at Avoncliff:
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Avoncliff
Aqueduct carries the K&A Canal &
towpath across the River Avon.
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Railway Station.
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Cross
Guns: canal-side pub with food.
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The Mad
Hatter tea room.
John Rennie's
landmark aqueduct carries the
K&A Canal across the River
Avon at Avoncliff. |
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3. Dundas to Claverton Pumping Station:
1.35 miles. Facilities & Attractions at Dundas:
•
Dundas
Aqueduct carries the K&A Canal &
towpath across the River Avon.
•
Somerset
Coal Canal junction with the K&A
Canal.
•
Tourist
Information Centre.
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Canoe and
Cycle rental.
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The
Angelfish restaurant.
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“Jubilee”
canal boat trips: Su April—October plus
Tu
July—August from Dundas Aqueduct. |
The K&A
Canal and towpath passes
through lovely Somerset county
landscape between Dundas and Bath.
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4. Claverton
Pumping Station to Beckford
ROAD, Bath: 3.6 miles. Along the
segment:
•
Historic (1810) Claverton Pumping Station:
Open
10AM-4PM We, Sa, Su from April-October.
Admission
charged.
•
The George pub at Bathampton, 1.6 miles from
Claverton and 2 miles
from Bath Abbey.
The K&A Canal
and towpath pass through
the village of Bathampton near Bath. |
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5.
Central Bath
Loop: 2 miles of city streets
(many with bike lanes).
Facilities/attractions in Bath include:
•
Numerous
historic sites: Roman Baths, Bath
Abbey, Jane Austen's home, United Nations
listed World Heritage Site.
• Restaurants, shops, cafés.
• Major
Mainline Railway Station: Bath Spa,
with hourly
connections to Bristol, Swindon,
Reading, and
London Paddington.
Roman Baths at Bath
Photo by David Iliff |
The K&A
Canal enters Bath discreetly
and elegantly via this tunnel beneath
Sydney Gardens park. Cyclists must
dismount for the tight clearances of
the tunnels and many bridge
underpasses along the canal.
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from Bradford-on-Avon is 50% longer than the The Bath Route, but
straighter, more pastoral, and much less traveled. While it has fewer
historic and architectural points of interest than the route west to
Bath, it does have some lovely, tranquil views, remote picnic spots. The
segment is less hilly and winding because the Avon River turns north
into the Cotswolds while the canal heads east away from the Cotswold and
Mendip hills, climbing gradually into the Vale of Pewsey. This section
is noticeably agricultural. The few villages the route passes through
are sleepy farming supply centers in western Wiltshire. Conveniently,
each offers a pub or restaurant that welcomes cyclists and walkers
needing a break from the canal towpath. At Foxhanger Wharf you encounter
a stretch of seven canal locks over a mile, leading to Caen Hill and one
of the great engineering landmarks of the early 19th century: the 16
consecutive “stair steps” of the Caen Hill Locks. Shortly after climbing
Caen Hill, the path reaches the sizeable town of Devizes with its many
restaurants, pubs, tea rooms, and cafés, plus the Kennet & Avon Canal
Museum.
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Sixteen locks arranged
like a fish
ladder enable the Kennet & Avon Canal
to climb Caen Hill into Devizes. |
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MILEAGE:
Bradford-on-Avon to Devizes: 13mi o/w; 26mi r/t.
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TIME REQUIRED: 5.5-9 hours
depending upon tourist time in Caen Hill & Devizes and meal stops. |
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1.
Bradford-on-Avon to Hilperton: 3 miles.
Facilities, Pubs, and Cafés at
Bradford-on-Avon:
•
Railway Station:
Frome Rd (B3109) ¼ mi N of
the K&A Canal.
•
Bike rental
shop: Towpath Trail (T. T.) Cycle &
Canoe Hire at The Lock Inn, Frome
Road
(B3109) by the canal. Mountain bikes, kids
bikes, helmets & other accessories by
the day
or part day. Canoes, too. Pre-booking
recommended: +44 (0)1225
867187.
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“Barbara McLellan” canal cruiser: public trips
from Wharf Cottage, Bradford-on-Avon We,
Sa, Su, April thru October.
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Tourist
Information Office.
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The Lock Inn:
Frome Road (B3109) by the canal.
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Canal Tavern:
Frome Rd (B3109) by the canal.
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Canal Side Café:
Frome Road (B3109) by the
canal. |
Rental bikes
lined up outside The Lock
Inn at Bradford-on-Avon. |
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The Barge
Inn at Seend Cleeve,
just west of the Caen Hill Locks.
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2. Hilperton to
Semington Bridge: 2.5 miles.
Facilities at Hilperton:
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King’s Arms pub
1/8mi SE of canal along Marsh
Road.
3. Semington
Bridge to Seend Cleeve: 2.2miles.
Facilities at Semington:
•
Somerset Arms
pub ¼ mi SW of Semington
Bridge on Semington High Street.
4. Seend Cleeve
to Foxhanger Wharf, west end of
Caen Hill Locks: 3mi. Facilities at
Seend Cleeve:
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The Barge Inn
canal side pub/restaurant.
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5. Foxhanger
Wharf via Caen Hill Locks to Devizes:
2 miles. Facilities in Caen Hill and
in Devizes:
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Of the
57-mile-long K&A Canal’s 107 locks, 29
were clustered by designer John
Rennie to
climb
east 237 feet up Caen Hill from Foxhanger
Wharf through the town of
Devizes. Sixteen of
these comprise the successive “stair steps” of
the Caen Hill locks, the
most impressive
landmark on the canal and a wonder of early
19th century civil
engineering.
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Black Horse pub
at Caen Hill Lock #48.
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Wharfside
Restaurant, Town Bridge, Devizes.
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Kennet & Avon
Canal Museum, Canal Centre,
Devizes Wharf, Couch Street, Devizes:
open
daily 10AM-4PM. |
Canal boats
tied up at Devizes Wharf
by the Kennet & Avon Canal Museum.
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BY CAR from
Home At First’s Lodgings in the
Northern Cotswolds in/near Chipping Campden:
Take the A44 SE to
Moreton-in-Marsh, then the A429 S to its end at the M4 junction 17.
From the junction, take
the A350 S around Chippenham to Melksham.
At the Bradford Road
roundabout just outside of Melksham, take the B3107 SW into
Bradford-on-Avon.
The B3107 becomes Silver
Street in Bradford.
Follow Silver Street (it
becomes the A363 in town) across the River Avon bridge.
After the railway station
roundabout, follow Frome Road S (it becomes the B3109) to the
Kennet &
Avon Canal.
Stop at The Lock Inn at
the canal for parking and bike rental.
Total driving distance:
63.5 miles. Total drive time: 100-110
minutes.
• BY CAR from
Home At First’s Lodgings in
the Southern Cotswolds in/near Tetbury:
Take the A433 SW from Tetbury to the A46.
Take the A46 S to its end
at the A4 roundabout just N of Bath.
Take the A4 NE toward Box.
Take the A363 SE to
Bradford-on-Avon.
Continue through
Bradford-on-Avon past the turn for the railway station, where the A363
becomes Frome Road.
Stay on Frome Road once it
becomes the B3109 to its crossing of the Kennet & Avon Canal.
Stop at The Lock Inn at
the canal for parking and bike rental.
Total driving distance:
28.5 miles. Total drive time: 45-50
minutes.
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• BY RAIL
from Home At First’s London Lodgings near
The Tower of London:
Take London Transport’s
Underground Circle Line from
Tower Hill about 30 minutes to London
Paddington.
From London Paddington,
take the high-speed train
about 90 minutes to Bath Spa.
From Bath Spa, take the
local train about 15 minutes
to Bradford-on-Avon station.
From the station walk
about ¼ mile S along Frome
Road to the Kennet & Avon Canal.
Total travel time (with
connecting time between trains):
2hrs 30min.
Rail Fares (round-trip):
£34/adult; £17/child (5-15). |
Train
arrival, Bradford-on-Avon station.
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rent mountain bikes (best for the sometimes muddy towpath), helmets, and
other accessories at
Towpath Trail (T. T.) Cycle &
Canoe Hire
at The Lock Inn, Frome Road (B3109) by the K&A Canal in
Bradford-on-Avon.
•
Bike Rentals (with helmet) by the day or partial day from £17/adult/day
& £13/child/day.
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Canoe rentals: £20/3hrs.
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Pre-booking recommended: +44 (0)1225 867187. Open daily
9AM-6PM. |
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 including the K&A Cycle Route leaflet are
available at Bradford-on-Avon Tourist Information on the south side of
the River Avon Bridge in the town center, and at the Wharf Cottage by
the Bradford-on-Avon canal lock.
English. Expect a shower even on the finest of days. Bring a poncho, and
plan to duck into any of the many pubs along the way when the shower
begins. |
English
weather at the Caen Hill
Locks near Devizes.
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The towpath is partially paved and partially dirt and mud, ideal for
mountain bikes despite not having any hills. Because hikers, strollers,
and anglers are also drawn to the towpath, cyclists often need to
proceed slowly—and occasionally dismount—in congested sections,
especially between Bradford and Bath.
A special note of caution:
we recommend dismounting from bikes before passing under bridges over
the canal where the towpath is often too narrow for two bikes or a
pedestrian and bike to pass without risking one or the other falling
into the canal.
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Stop at the Sainsbury’s Supermarket 3/8 mile south of the canal bridge.
Follow Frome Road across the canal bridge. Turn left onto Moulton Drive.
Sainsbury’s is along the canal at Moulton Drive at Rowden Lane.
In addition to the restaurants, pubs, tearooms, and cafés listed in the
segmented itineraries above, more way stations are found in isolated
locations and in nearby off-path villages along the K&A Canal Path.
are available at pubs and restaurants along the K&A towpath. A few
public
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There is no
shortage of places to stop
for a break and a bite along the K&A
Canal, like the Cross Guns Free House
pub, visible from the canal at Avoncliff. |
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WCs are
available in towns and villages.
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Public phone booths (“call boxes”), shops, medical offices, and other
facilities are found in villages along the route. Nevertheless, unless
you fall into the canal, carrying a cell phone (“mobile”) with you is a
good idea, especially in case of emergency.
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