About

Crossing some of England's most beautiful countryside, the Kennet and Avon Canal links England's canals from the River Thames at Reading to the Bristol Channel. The path is one of Britain’s most popular long-distance, waterside cycling and walking routes.

The route of the Kennet and Avon Canal takes you from the Thames at Reading through some of the nation's best loved landscapes, including West Berkshire - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - and Thatcham, Hungerford, and Pewsey.

It includes the dramatic Caen Hill Locks at Devizes and the southern tip of the rolling Cotswolds, taking you past the stunning aqueducts at Dundas and Avoncliff. Other highlights include the delightful Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre, Caen Hill Locks, Claverton Pumping Station, and numerous pretty canal side villages, including Bradford-on-Avon.

Along the way to Bath, most of the route follows a towpath, making for an easy, relaxed walk or cycle.

There are two audio trails which tell you more about the Kennet and Avon Canal. Overheard conversations invite you to eavesdrop on intriguing historic letters and conversations about the waterway.

Once used for transporting various goods such as timber, malt, flour and cheese to London and the Midlands, the Kennet and Avon is now there for us all to enjoy, thanks to restoration from the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust.