Bradford-on-Avon to Bath Walk

This lovely and very easy walk starts in the beautiful historic town of Bradford-upon-Avon, and follows the Kennet and Avon canal along its towpath following a beautiful steep sided valley, crossing the river Avon twice on aqueducts. The canal is elevated above the river, giving nice views throughout (but better in winter near the start). The walk finishes in Georgian Bath.

There is a nice selection of pubs and tea rooms along the way.

The walk can be done in either direction - Bradford is also a pretty town to finish in.

• You could carry on along the canal, or a cyclepath along a disused railway line, all the way to Bristol.
• You can do the walk in reverse, starting at Bath, and continue along the canal past Bradford
• You could devise a circular walk back to Bradford.

I used to take the train from Waterloo to South Wales which follows the picturesque river valley alongside the canal as it winds its way towards Bristol - the canal being clearly visible from the train on the far side of the valley. So, one time, I stopped off and walked...

There is an alternate riverside (as opposed to canalside) path from Bradford-upon-Avon to Avoncliffe (the first aqueduct), however, there's no river view, and its muddy, even in summer - stick to the canal path.

By Train

Bradford-on-Avon has a train service from both London Paddington (2 hrs, change at Bath) and London Waterloo (2 hrs 15 to 3 hrs, direct (rare) or change at Salisbury)

Bath has a fast (1 hr 30 mins, direct) train service from London Paddington, and a much slower one from London Waterloo (2 hrs 30 mins, direct (rare) or change at Salisbury).

However, there are problems: 1) these stations are outside the Netword Card area, which makes the journey more expensive, and 2) the tickets on the fast trains from Paddington are much more expensive than the slower ones from Waterloo

Travel by the fastest route: out via either Waterloo or Paddington, return to Paddington.

• Its £82 (£61 after 10am and weekends) if you buy a "return via Paddington" ticket on the day.
• Book a week or 2 in advance, and get "Advance" tickets. These are sold as one-way singles, and are about £20-£30 each, so £50 return.

Travel by the cheapest route: out and back from Waterloo via Salisbury.

• The cheapest route for buying tickets on the day is out and back from Waterloo. The return journey especially is longer, but much cheaper at £45 return.
• Previously cheap Advance tickets don't seem currently available on this route.

Consider doing the walk in reverse, if the train times are more convenient

Fare advice updated: Sep'19

By Car :

About 2 hrs 15 mins from London. There is a pay car park at Bradford-upon-Avon train station, and a free visitors car-park by the canal. Return to your car by direct train, about 10 mins.

Also, free parking by Avoncliffe station, and a pay car park at Dundas Aqueduct cafe. All of Bath is in a CPZ

If making a weekend of it, Bristol (heritage harbour area), Avebury (stone circle) and Glastonbury (hippies) are nearby.

Saturday Walkers Club : Publicise the walk a few weeks in advance to allow advance tickets to be purchased, or take advantage of occasional special offers.

• Bath is a major tourist attraction. Bradford-on-Avon is smaller but still well worth seeing.
• Kennet and Avon Canal

There are several pubs and tea rooms en-route. Including...

• Cross Guns Avoncliffe (2.5 km) - historic pub, canalside, tiered outside terrace
• Angelfish Cafe (6.5 km) - canal visitor centre cafe near the Dundas Aqueduct
• George Inn (11 km) - Chef & Brewer pub in Bathampton, historic, canalside, outside terrace by the canal.

After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks!

You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Sep-21 Andrew