Longer distance canal walks - public transport for one way section returns

[whole diary]

[grahame]

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.

[bradshaw]

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.

[Ralph Ayres]

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?

[Mark A]

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

[froome]

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.

[grahame]

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