Kennet & Avon Canal - Bristol to Bath (★★★★☆)

Today I am heading out on my first big walk of the year - and with it still being pretty wet under foot, I am sticking with canals - taking on the Kennet & Avon Canal - which we will follow from Bristol to Reading over the next five days.

The plan for today is to walk between Bristol and Bath, and although the Kennet & Avon Canal is generally assumed to start at Brunel's Swing Bridge, I have decided to relax standards at either end of the canal - and will take the most convenient route for the two train stations in Bristol and Reading.

From Bristol Temple Meads train station, we cut up to join the canal as it passes to the north of the station - and here we find a well developed canal side, with a lot more development work going on around us.

By the side of the canal

If we were to turn left it would be about a two mile walk from here down to Brunel's Swing Bridge, and the furthest end of this section of what is considered to be the canal (although you can go all the way to the Severn Mouth as well from here). Instead we turn right, and noting that the onward route of the canal is along a fairly dull looking road, instead decide to follow the meander of the River Avon.

This seems to be a good choice as this gives us a towpath rather than a pavement, but whilst the map shows a towpath continuing on round, and cutting up to the canal (just before the river and canal rejoin), in reality the path effectively comes to an end at the southern end of a retail park.

In a way this is handy, for I need to get food and drink for the day, but it does take a bit of working out before I realise that I need to head north through the retail park, before arriving back at the road running parallel alongside the canal at the far end.

Here we turn right, and trudge along the side of this fairly busy road - before we get to cross over the canal, and head along the edge of a recreation ground, as we follow the canal out from the centre of the city.

From here the navigation exclusively uses the River Avon all the way through to Bath, and it is a wide river that is clearly well suited to navigation.

Following the River Avon out of Bristol

Slightly further round

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this section of the river/canal. On the map it looks very urban, but in reality what we have is a fairly steep sided valley, where we are following a pretty riverside path.

As we head on round, what we find is that whilst we are still in a city (and hence there isn't the greetings or chat you get on the more rural sections of a canal), these are probably the politest city folk I have encountered.

And as we head on, we round Conham River Park, and then curve back around Broom Hill - and on through a wooded valley, as we start to leave Bristol behind.

A house along the river

The rowing clubhouse

From here we head along this wooded river valley, and quickly get used to this rural setting - until there is a eventually a change, as we arrive at the small cluster of homes that surround Hanham Lock.

Here we pass the busy Chequers Inn - and cut off around horse fields, with views out towards Keynsham in the distance, as the river continues on it's meandering course.

There are a few muddy sections along this part of the towpath, and it is still being fairly wet underfoot despite some decent weather today - but we get through okay and are soon passing Keynsham, which sits on the far side of the river. 

And whilst this is a fairly large town, it sits almost exclusively on the far side of the river, whilst on our side of the river there are only rural fields.

The closest part of the town is Somerdale, and here the largest building is the old Cadbury's chocolate factory - which operated from 1935 until 2011.

As in Manchester (at Bournville), the owners of Cadbury's built facilities built around their factories to benefit the local workers - and on our way to Keynsham we have been making our way round what is left of the recreation grounds, as we have been walking a meander in the river (with those recreation grounds being on the far side of the river).

For those looking to do a shorter walk, we do have a split point here - and it is fairly easy to cross over, and head to the train station on the far side of the river. 

But we are continuing on - and as we start to leave the town behind, we soon find ourselves looking out towards the hills that form the southern end of the Cotswolds (with the Cotswolds Way starting/finishing in Bath, and cutting up over these hills).

Hills at the southern end of the Cotswolds

From here we pass by Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park - which seems to focus predominantly on farm animals (and dinosaurs) - before meeting up with the route of Avon Valley Railway line.

This is a short heritage railway that runs along part of the former route of the Bath-Bristol railway (which is otherwise a popular cycle route).

In 1869 this railway line was opened, and took a fairly meandering route up through the northern end of Bristol, and then down into Bath.

With this not being a particularly direct line, it was closed during the Beeching cuts - and now the line is mostly used as a cycle route (with many bikes visible on the path as we approach it).

For the three miles of this path that lie in front of us the Avon Valley Railway still operates a heritage line that runs alongside the cycle path, with both passing over the River Avon, before the heritage line terminates at Avon Riverside train station (heritage trains only).

Our route is supposed to head up onto this cycle path, over the river, and then down onto the bank on the far side - but it would seem that access down to the riverside has been cut off by one of the landowners.

Having crossed over the river

This leaves no real way of following the intended path, and after quizzing the locals, the choice seems to be to either head up to Swineford (and then down the A431 and then across the river on a bridge), or to follow the cycle path to Saltford (where I can rejoin the canal).

In the end I opt for the second choice, and here I get to see just how busy this cycle path is, with a busy stream of bikes coming past as I head on towards Saltford.

At Saltford, I drop down onto the roads as I make my way through the village - and here we find some old buildings, of which the most notable is Brass Mill.

This mill dates back to the 1720s - and is the last surviving of what were once a collection of over 30 mills, that used to be found along this stretch of the River Avon.

Here brass made from Cornish ores (transported up the river) were milled to make pans, bowls and vats - and as we pass we can head what sounds like a water wheel turning with the flow of the river (it is closed so I can't explore any further).

The view on the way into Saltford

From the middle of Saltford

Heading out of Saltford

From here we head on down to the river once again, and although we have to endure a short section of very muddy path on the way out of Saltford, everything quickly clears up as we continue to walk along a quiet section of towpath.

This section of river is what I originally imagined the river around Oxford would be like, and it is a very quiet rural stretch of country that is fairly unspoiled.

On my way, I'm walking alongside a big group of rowers, some of whom race away from me, whilst others chaotically crash into each other and allow me to stroll pass.

But this is a very pretty stretch of river that few seems to visit, with the imposing Kelston Hall sitting on the hill to our left, and with an open view out across gentle rolling countryside in front.

Kelston Hall

Rolling hills in front

Here I have to complement Great Western Railway for their choice of livery - as their dark green trains do look impressive when they are streaming through the lighter green countryside - and as I stand here it does feel a shame that we will lose them when they are updated to the Great British Railway livery (which will be a more garish shade of blue).

But for now, we can still enjoy these trains - and this section of towpath continues to be excellent as we continue on towards the outskirts of Bath itself.

Final stretch before reaching Bath

As I keep going, the rowers continue to stream back and forth, and it is not long before they are playing an odd game of Where's Wally - involving me as the Wally - with a shout of 'there he is again' going up as I pass by them once again. 

Clearly this isn't the busiest stretch of river for walkers.

But soon we pass under a main road - heading through a short tunnel - and from here we are more clearly in central Bath, with lots of people out and about along a river that whilst not too bad, is not quite as nice as it could be.

Under the main road

But as we start to leave industrial units behind, and start to pass by more modern housing developments, we start to see a bit more beauty along the towpath - and it is an enjoyable final run into Bath, which proves to be a busy, but very pleasant city to walk through.

First developments along the River

Nearer the centre of Bath

The city has clearly managed to tame the motor vehicle - and as you walk through the middle you find to your surprise that cars slow to to let you across, and everyone is very polite.

When planning a canal route, the first thing I usually do is look up how many urban centres I will have to pass through - and often I face these with a sense of foreboding - but here Bath is one of the exceptions, and has got it's riverside setup right.

And with plentiful options for food and accommodation, I head off to get some food, and head to my hotel ready for the next day of walking.

And for those heading off by train, your journey is more straight-forward than mine, as you can just keep on going along the canal as here we are just minutes away from Bath Spa train station.

Total Distance: 16.3 miles (16.0 miles along the canal/river)

Total Ascent: 390 feet (377 feet along the canal/river)

Note the distances assume that like me you are forced to use the cycle path on the way into Saltford. If you managed to follow the river instead that will add a bit of mileage.

Enjoyment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5

Click for the following day's walk along the Kennet & Avon Canal from Bath to Devizes.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 172 OS Landranger map (links redirect to Amazon). I got a bit lost at AvonMeads Shopping Park (head north path the cinema), but otherwise the route was really easy to follow