Kennet & Avon - Bedwyn to Newbury (★★★☆☆)

Today is the fourth of five days spent walking the Kennet & Avon Canal between Bristol and Reading. On the previous day I had walked from Devizes to Great Bedwyn, and today the plan is to continue on to Newbury.

I had already stayed overnight in Newbury, having decided to use this as a base for two days - using the train to get between Bedwyn and Newbury on the previous day.

Having ended that day with a muddy walk into Bedwyn, it was with slight trepidation that I was heading out to begin the walk back to Newbury along the canal.

But whilst the towpath was far from perfect upon my return to the canal, it was certainly not as bad as it had been on the run into Bedwyn from the far side.

A lock on the run out of Great Bedwyn

From here it is a very short run down to Little Bedwyn, which lies slightly further along the canal - and from here we have a very quiet and rural section as we make our way round to Hungerford (a larger village).

A lock on the way into Little Bedwyn

Little Bedwyn

Here the path is fairly slippery after the previous day's rain - and for now the cycle path is on the parallel road, as the towpath isn't really suitable for cycling along this section of the canal.

The land around us is pretty waterlogged, and this area seems to be fairly marshy, but with a quaint rural charm to our surroundings.

A lock and cottage on the run into Hungerford

And as we come up to the edge of Hungerford, all of a sudden there start to be other people out and about (this is now a Saturday after all) - and ahead we have an even more exciting development, with the appearance of a tarmacked towpath.

But there is a steep price to pay for this luxury, and at the nearest end of the tarmac to us, there is a massive muddy puddle.

Here a jogger has just passed me - stops, looks at the puddle, turns to me, says "I'll go another way" with a laugh, and jogs off into the village - but here I feel obliged to make the best of the towpath, and completely fail to get through without sinking my shoes into the muddy ooze.

"Hurrah, for the tarmac!" - or so I thought.

But I am at least on a nice dry path now, as I head off past the village of Hungerford - which has a charm to it that is reminiscent of towns like Marlow along the Thames Path, but on a much smaller scale.

The church at Hungerford

And with there being a bench on the far side of the village (where unfortunately the mud begins again), I stop off for a bit of a rest and a sock change in a vain attempt to dry off my feet.

By now the condition of the towpath has started to wear me down a bit - and here I am able to think about the need for more funding to be made available to get more of our waterways accessible.

Yes I can see that there is progress, and that things are heading in the right direction - but would it be really that expensive to do one big push?

This winter I have been a massive beneficiary of some very good towpaths in the north of England - and where the towpath is good, people usually follow - creating a busy and friendly environment along the waterways.

And once you have experienced the benefit of having well surfaced and well drained paths that can be used throughout winter, you do start dreaming of a world full of perfect paths - that allow you to get out over the winter months of the year.

But with funding being finite, we must live with the progress we are getting, even if that progress can be slower than you would like it to be.

But there is still something nice about the idea of people being able to hop on a bike in Bristol, and get off in the centre of London - and maybe then head up to Birmingham along the Grand Union Canal.

So far I have seen a lot of cyclists around Bristol and Bath, but since then I have seen a complete absence of cyclists along this middle section of the towpath.

Those that I have seen around the cities, have been mostly older people, families and younger people - rather than your classic idea of the cyclist out training for the next Tour de France. And each of them have been polite and friendly on their way past.

Still, after a while the towpath improves a bit - and progress is reasonably good heading out of Hungerford.

Leaving behind Hungerford

Getting further out from Hungerford

After a while though, there is a complete collapse in the quality of the towpath - and here there is not only a lack of hard standing underfoot, but also a lack of any real drainage - so the towpath becomes one great muddy pool, where you would almost be better off walking in the shallows of the canal (you'd get as wet but less muddy).

Here, as I struggle through a particularly bad section, I'm a bit stunned to see two cyclists coming through, and one of them even apologizes for being so slow on their past, which almost makes me laugh given how muddy conditions are.

I explain that in fact I'm not in any way annoyed with how long I'm waiting at the side of the towpath, and just amazed that anyone is cycling here at all, given how deep the mud is.

Finally on the run into Kintbury, the towpath is now basically underwater - and it has become impossible to avoid the deep mud by this point.

But then, just as all hope feels lost, what lies ahead is a near perfect towpath, done to an exceptional standard, with great drainage management ensuring that water in general flows out without leaving a puddle.

And here and now, if you told me that there was a God of Towpaths, I would be an instant convert, and an unflinching disciple of whatever religious practices come with Towpathanity - and from the map it looks like we might get a solid path all the way from here to Reading. Hurrah!

A good towpath at Kintbury

Feeling somewhat emotional about this upturn in fortunes, I head on past one of the many train stations that line the canal - and here we also find a charming section of countryside that is already starting to make up for the trials of today.

Some hills starting to form on either side

And of course a lovely solid towpath (with an excellent slope for improved drainage)

Following this general improvement in conditions, there is a general increase in the number of fellow walkers out and about, from zero (other than the two cyclists) before, to there now being a fairly numerous number of people out and about.

And here the cyclists before give a cheery hello on their way back past again - and when I quiz one on their trip, they shout back that it wasn't too bad, except when they fell in the canal.

Ticking off another lock

And a bridge

By this point we are on the final run in towards Newbury - and walking opposite to Hamstead Park - which sits on the far side of the canal.

Hamstead Park

On our way past we don't see anything of Hamstead Park, but it is possible to go over and have an explore around what is left of a once very grand estate, with the easiest access being from Hamstead Lock - where you can cross over the canal and the head on through Hamstead Park along the footpaths.

But even on our side of the canal, there is plenty left to be seen on our run towards Newbury.

On the way to Newbury

Over another bridge connecting canal and river

As we approach the final stretch the path gets a lot busier - and a lot more worn down - before we finish with a very slow stretch, just before reaching the High Street, where we have to slow down to the speed of everyone out for a short walk.

Having only seen the more modern side of Newbury on the previous day (on the way from the station to my hotel via the High Street), this route into town shows off a more attractive, older section of Newbury.

Heading through the centre of Newbury

Passing the church

And finally the towpath turns to join the High Street - and here we have a very handy end to our day's walking, with plenty of food available - heading up the High Street, as I head off to my overnight stop after a good fill of food.

Total Distance: 13.8 miles (13.5 miles along the canal)

Total Ascent: 131 feet

Enjoyment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ★ ★ / 5

Note that this section ideally needs dry conditions, with the towpath only being good in wet conditions from Kintbury onwards. Without this you risk feelings of despair along the way. Still it is a nice rural stretch of canal, and despite the struggles I enjoyed it enough to make it a good day.

Click for the next section of the Kennet & Avon Canal from Newbury to Reading.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 174 OS Landranger map (links redirect to Amazon). The route is incredibly easy to follow