How to get there - Bathampton is 1 mile east of Bath. From the A36 fork left onto a minor road (Bathampton Lane which leads into High Street). This road will decend steadily to a bridge over the Kennet & Avon Canal, immediately after which it turns sharp left to the Gearge Inn. (map)
Suggested Launch Site - We parked in the Road opposite the bridge (Church Close). You can launch your canoe from the towpath either side of the bridge.
General
Description - This is a very pleasant stretch of canal with the waterway half way down the valley side, the River Avon below and the wooded hills above. The entire trip is about 11 miles with no locks. There are two swing bridges but these are sufficiently high for canoeists to pass unhindered.
In addition to the expected pleasures of a rural canal there are a number of special features worth looking out for. The Claverton Pump is a water mill diven pumping engine raising water from the River Avon to the canal. There are two very distinctive stone built aqueducts (Dundas and Avoncliff) which carry the canal backward and forward accross the river. The Dundas Aqueduct marks the junction with the Somerset Coal Canal the first few hundred yards of which have been restored to act as moorings. There is a Visitor Centre, tea shop and boat hire (including canoes) at the end of the short stretch of restored Somerset Coal Canal.
The lenth of canal between the two aqueducts was very prone to leakage and the restoration was achieved through the construction of a completely concrete lined section of canal. Nature has now reasserted herself and this merges seemlessly into it's surroundings.
At the Avoncliffe Aqueduct (the suggested turnround point) is the Cross Guns Inn, convenient for mid day refreshments. For those with sufficient time and stamina the 14th century Tithe Barn at Bradford on Avon is a mile further allong the canal. (route)
