Kennet and Avon Canal

By: Steve Davison
This guidebook takes you on a fascinating journey across southern England from Reading to Bristol, following a major transport route built over 200 years ago during the heyday of British canals. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through a varied landscape, including the chalk hills of the North Wessex Downs in the east and the southern edge of the Cotswolds in the west. The 94-mile route from Reading to Bristol is split into 7 stages of fairly easy walking and includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bath and Bristol's Floating Harbour. Twenty circular walks are also included, ranging from 4 to 9 miles, taking in the best sections of the canal.

There are numerous fascinating features along the canal, such as Crofton Pumping Station, the impressive Caen Hill flight of locks at Devizes, aqueducts at Avoncliff and Dundas; picturesque towns and villages, with pubs, ancient churches; Georgian splendour at Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, vibrant Bristol and its Floating Harbour.

There are detailed instructions for navigation complete with 1:50,000 scale Ordnance Survey mapping of the entire route. The book includes a brief history of the canal and sections on geology, plants and wildlife, where to stay, getting to and around the canal, and food and drink. There are also numerous colour photographs. The canal and walks can be undertaken at any time of year, although in winter some paths can be quite muddy.

Trail Sections
Stage 1 Reading to Woolhampton - 12.75 miles
Stage 2 Woolhampton to Hungerford - 15.5 miles
Stage 3 Hungerford to Pewsey Wharf - 14.25 miles
Stage 4 Pewsey Wharf to Devizes - 12 miles
Stage 5 Devizes to Bradford-on-Avon - 12.5 miles
Stage 6 Bradford-on-Avon to Bath - 9.75 miles
Stage 7 Bath to Bristol - 17.75 miles

Locations of Circular Walks
Walk 1 Reading - canal and river - 4.75 miles
Walk 2 Aldermaston - wharf and village - 5.75 miles
Walk 3 Greenham Common 8 or 6 miles
Walk 4 Newbury and Donnington - 5.25 miles
Walk 5 Kintbury and Hamstead Marshall - 6 miles
Walk 6 Hungerford and Kintbury - 7.25 miles
Walk 7 Hungerford, Freeman's Marsh and Standen Manor - 7 miles
Walk 8 Great Bedwyn, Crofton and Wilton - 6 miles
Walk 9 Wootton Rivers and Burbage - 7.5 miles
Walk 10 Pewsey Wharf, Martinsell Hill and Oare Hill - 7.5 miles
Walk 11 Wilcot and Woodborough - 6 miles
Walk 12 Honeystreet and the Alton Barnes White Horse - 8.25 miles
Walk 13 All Cannings, the Wansdyke and Bishops Cannings - 9 miles
Walk 14 Devizes, Caen Hill and Rowde - 6.5 miles
Walk 15 Seend and Seend Cleeve - 5.75 miles
Walk 16 Bradford-on-Avon, Avoncliff and Lower Westwood - 4.75 miles
Walk 17 Avoncliff, Freshford, Monkton Combe and Dundas - 6.75
Walk 18 Dundas Aqueduct, Monkton Farleigh and Bathford - 8.5 miles
Walk 19 Bathampton, Sham Castle and Bath - 7.75 miles
Walk 20 Saltford, Swineford, North Stoke and the Cotswold Way - 9.25 miles

ISBN 9781852847869 Pages 229 (2020) 116mm x 172mm

by: Heron Maps
This folded tourist map of the Kennet and Avon Canal shows the entire route from Bristol to Reading in full colour highly detailed mapping at a scale of 1:50,000. In addition, there are detailed town plans at 1:12,500 scale. The map is primarily aimed at the boat user but there is a wealth of information useful to walkers including the towpath shown clearly as a red dotted line. Other tourist Information includes crossing routes between Bristol and Reading, tourist information centres, places of interest, pubs, shops, post offices, nature reserves, parks, churches, long distance path intersections, public toilets, and camp sites.

The map is printed on both sides and folded into 8 panels. There is a short history of the canal, some colour photographs, and notes on canal features of interest. To anyone planning to walk the Kennet and Avon Canal this map is a really useful source of information to have in your rucksack and definitely worth its modest cost.

ISBN 9781908851376 Folded Map (2022 3rd edition) 140mm x 220mm folded