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 16/07/25 - TransWilts CRP Annual meeting
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12th Jul (1949)
Final run - Drumm Battery Train (link)

Train RunningCancelled
13:10 Penzance to London Paddington
15:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
15:58 Cardiff Central to Taunton
16:02 Westbury to Gloucester
16:27 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
16:27 Exeter St Davids to Penzance
16:29 Gatwick Airport to Reading
16:30 London Paddington to Taunton
16:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Foregate Street
16:46 Avonmouth to Weston-Super-Mare
16:50 London Paddington to Hereford
16:52 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads
17:00 Oxford to London Paddington
17:00 Great Malvern to London Paddington
17:06 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
17:08 Gloucester to Weymouth
17:14 Exeter St Davids to Penzance
17:15 Penzance to Plymouth
17:23 Basingstoke to Reading
17:29 Gatwick Airport to Reading
17:32 Exeter Central to Okehampton
17:34 Didcot Parkway to Oxford
17:35 Swindon to Westbury
17:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Foregate Street
17:52 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads
18:00 Oxford to London Paddington
18:07 Reading to Basingstoke
18:08 Gloucester to Westbury
18:10 Weston-Super-Mare to Severn Beach
18:16 Taunton to Cardiff Central
18:24 Reading to Gatwick Airport
18:25 Oxford to Banbury
18:27 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
18:30 Okehampton to Exeter St Davids
18:35 Westbury to Swindon
18:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Great Malvern
18:52 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads
18:53 Basingstoke to Reading
19:00 Banbury to Oxford
19:00 Oxford to London Paddington
19:08 Gloucester to Bristol Temple Meads
19:19 Carmarthen to Swansea
19:24 Reading to Gatwick Airport
19:32 Reading to Basingstoke
19:33 Exeter St Davids to Okehampton
19:34 Plymouth to Penzance
19:44 Swindon to Westbury
19:50 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads
19:59 Gatwick Airport to Reading
20:03 Bristol Temple Meads to Filton Abbey Wood
20:05 Oxford to Didcot Parkway
20:23 Basingstoke to Reading
20:51 Filton Abbey Wood to Bristol Temple Meads
20:59 Gatwick Airport to Reading
21:09 Gloucester to Bristol Temple Meads
21:23 Oxford to Banbury
21:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Westbury
21:28 Great Malvern to Bristol Temple Meads
22:04 Banbury to Didcot Parkway
22:12 Swindon to Westbury
22:24 Okehampton to Exeter St Davids
23:20 Didcot Parkway to Oxford
13/07/25 08:01 Weymouth to Cardiff Central
13/07/25 09:00 Westbury to Weymouth
13/07/25 09:08 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth
13/07/25 10:38 Weymouth to Swindon
13/07/25 11:32 Swindon to Weymouth
13/07/25 13:32 Swindon to Weymouth
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13/07/25 17:53 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads
13/07/25 20:11 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads
13/07/25 20:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth
Short Run
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
13:03 London Paddington to Penzance
14:18 London Paddington to Carmarthen
14:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
14:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
15:08 Gloucester to Weymouth
15:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
15:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
16:08 Gloucester to Weymouth
16:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
16:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
17:12 Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach
17:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
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Author Topic: Longer distance canal walks - public transport for one way section returns  (Read 3385 times)
grahame
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« on: April 29, 2025, 10:16:49 »

Following up on an ealier thread here ... and also to be shared separately elsewhere ...

I have been taking part in the "Melksham Daily Mile" this month in Melksham - the objective being to walk a daily mile. My predominant use of public transport over car and taxi in any case brings me good though shorter exercise anyway but I have been making a point of extending my walks.

This month - April 2025 - I have walked all the way from Devizes to Bath.  In stages, each stage topped or tailed by public transport to make for a one way walk. Total distance over these 3 days - about 22 miles (35 kms) spread roughly equally into 3 walks of about 7 miles each.

1. Devizes to Melksham
Out by 273 bus. Back home on foot along the canal.

2. Melksham to Bradford-on-Avon (walked in reverse)
Out by bus (x34, change to 69 in Trowbridge). Back on foot along the canal

3. Bradford on Avon to Bath
Out and back by train. Back along the Canal to Dundas then through the Two old railway tunnels under Combe Down.  With my cousins visiting from South Lake Tahoe on the California / Nevada state border in the USA

It has been a glorious and enjoyable trip and updated / reminded me of just how good for the livelihood of a canal running through the community is, and it has reminded me how useful the local public transport is.























« Last Edit: April 29, 2025, 11:08:51 by grahame » Logged

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bradshaw
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« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2025, 20:36:31 »

Back in the 90s I set out to walk the K & A in a series of stretches, usually around 12 miles. Living in Maiden Newton I set out using the train. The stages I embarked on were Bath to Bradford; Trowbridge to Avoncliff ( for the Cross Guns); Trowbridge to Devizes for bus to Bath; Pewsey to Devizes for bus to Bath; Pewsey to Great Bedwyn; Bedwyn to Hungerford; Hungerford to Kintbury. I never got round to the last section.
The walks were helped by there being an hostelry every four miles or so.
In addition these guides were very useful.
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Ralph Ayres
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« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2025, 10:41:29 »

I'm intrigued by the 3rd photo, which reminds me slightly of the intimidating anti-terrorist barriers we sadly see a lot of nowadays, here apparently intended to stop a large warship ramming the lock in the distance.  I'm guessing they are just some old and hard-to-remove bridge supports, though if the bridge was as substantial as the supports look then why is it no longer needed?
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Mark A
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« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2025, 10:56:38 »

It's the piers for the useful but closed rail line, part of the shortest route between London and the West Country, and which had at least one bridge of an uncommon design, not sure if the canal crossing's bridge was another, but the piers certainly got beefed up at some stage.

Mark
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froome
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« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2025, 16:00:41 »

Regarding the 9th photo, the herons along the Bath section of the Kennet and Avon canal are extraordinarily accepting of humans walking close by them. I assume this is one of them, probably the one that hangs around midway between Bathampton and Sydney Gardens.
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grahame
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« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2025, 16:44:25 »

It's the piers for the useful but closed rail line, part of the shortest route between London and the West Country, and which had at least one bridge of an uncommon design, not sure if the canal crossing's bridge was another, but the piers certainly got beefed up at some stage.

Mark

The bridge at Foxhangers was conventional - see here and open the "history" tab. The Fish Bridge on Caen Hill was the uncommon design - always known as that even after it was replaced in 1901. See here on Facebook.  None of these photos have original poster credits which I would happily add if I knew them.

Regarding the 9th photo, the herons along the Bath section of the Kennet and Avon canal are extraordinarily accepting of humans walking close by them. I assume this is one of them, probably the one that hangs around midway between Bathampton and Sydney Gardens.

This one was actually near Bradford-on-Avon; on the walk in with visiting cousins we missed the Bathampton to Bath section around the river valley and went Dundas - Midford - Tucking Mill - Combe Down - Devonshire - Bear Flat





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