We are pretty much new to the Kennet and Avon canal. I’d visited it in Pewsey before, over in Wiltshire where my Uncle, Auntie and cousins live. Reading Riverside being another location where I’d encountered it but that was it.
The K&A starts in Reading where it meets with the Thames and a little further along it’s path it confluences with the River Kennet. Then from there it travels a good 87 miles to the River Severn, passing a whole selection of towns and cities along the way, including Bath and Bristol. Plenty to explore.
Today we drove over to Kintbury, about 30 minutes from our house and a pleasant jaunt along the M4, A34 and the A4. That’s the fast way but we came back the scenic route.
Kintbury is located between Newbury and Hungerford both of which are in the county parish of Berkshire. The village is on the main line to Reading and Paddington in London. The track followed our walking route today, I tried to capture a picture or video using my drone to show the old trade route besides the modern. It didn’t happen but I do have photos of the canal following the path of the railway or vice versa, the canal came long before the trains did after all.
It was a beautiful morning, sunny and warm with blue skies to boot. The scenery looked stunning. Trees coming into leaf. Ducks, swans and grey wagtails bobbing along the bank. A scattering of canal boats moored up. The bucolic sound of the wind and bird song. We could pick out various common species, only being disturbed once or twice by a freight train thundering past.
The K&A cuts through the beautiful Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that are the Wessex Doans which start at Streatley (Thames basin) and stretch across as far as West Wiltshire. It’s mentioned in The Domessday Book.
We could see on the opposite bank of the K&A, a woodland called Catmore Copse which is an area of Special Scientific Interest, featuring a large number of different tree and plant types.
It has been awhile since I've put the drone up, a great tool for getting some better perspectives of things. A bridge and lock together, is quite commonplace along the canal. I know that the Kennet and Avon was a canal where horse drawn boats were used a great deal to pull along the cargo they carried between settlements.
Popped up a bit higher with the drone in this photo to capture the canal and railway line side by side. The latter being the death knell for canals at the time which is why so many went into decline at the time, later restored to their former glory for the tourism, heritage and sports activities that have made canals so popular again.
This was a lovely boat being piloted by this one lady on her own (though there may have been people inside, we weren't sure). It's a large widebeam boat which are as spacious as some flats, if not more so. We watched her as she navigated through the lock accompanied by her Terrier "Jack". I actually have no idea what it's name was, just made a name up for him!
This vista took us both by surprise because we didn't expect to see such a broad area of the water like this. It was glorious, the house on the other side of the canal flanked by stunning landscaped gardens.
Had these ducks eaten before? They were all over our duck food, as if they were on the brink of starvation!
Very close to the car park at Kintbury, we found a small woodland trail dotted with these enormous "Bug Hotels". I just had to tell my niece, as she was talking about building one of her own the other day. I think she may (only possibly) be impressed by this. She is only 5!
If you ever fancy a trip with a difference, why not book a tour on a horse drawn boat for a couple of hours along the Kennet and Avon. I had a look at the website promoted on the little red boat in the foreground later that day.
