Bristol to Hungerford, UK: Biking Along Busy Canals and Windswept Downs
26 - 28 April 2019
Bristol to Bradford-on-Avon (26 April, 2019, 42.5 km, 26.4 mi)
The weather forecast called for a rainy morning, so we slept in and spent the morning relaxing in our hotel room. We finally hit the road around 1pm, just as the rain was ending.
Today we left EuroVelo 1 behind, and headed eastward on EuroVelo 2 towards London. On the eastern edge of town, our route joined the Bristol-and-Bath Railway Path, a 13 mi (21 km) rail-to-trail path. It was awesome. The trail was paved, with gentle gradients, and a mostly smooth surface. We flew along, making great time.
Meet Gaius Sentius. His statue marks the place where a Roman road crossed the Bristol-to-Bath Railway Path. You can join him in taking a drink, from the water fountain in his arm. Warmley, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Historic train engines and cars are restored by the nonprofit Avon Valley Railway, on a section of tracks next to the Bristol-and-Bath Railway Path. When we rode by, a couple of engineers were working on the red train engine. Bitton, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Upon reaching the city of Bath, the EuroVelo 2 route dives straight through the heart of the city. Riding down the wide boulevards, we were immediately struck by the uniformity of the architecture. Nearly all of the buildings are constructed using Bath Stone, an ivory-colored limestone, in the Georgian style. The consistency of the way the buildings were designed reminded us of Paris. It turns out that the city’s main buildings were largely constructed in the 1700s by father-and-son architects John Wood the Elder, and John Wood, the Younger, according to a plan that deliberately integrated the buildings, urban spaces, and surrounding landscape. It definitely gives the city a feeling of planned elegance.
A typical building in Bath, England, UK. The city has a very elegant, uniform architectural design. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
On the far side of Bath, we cycled onto the Kennet-and-Avon Canal Trail. Unlike the Bristol-and-Bath Railway Path, which was paved, this trail is all gravel and dirt. Our pace slowed down, considerably.
We were impressed by the sheer number of canal boats here in England. Unlike the canals that we traveled along in France, which had very few boats, the English canals are literally crammed with “narrow boats,” as they call them. Apparently their numbers have been rising in recent decades, with more than 30,000 narrow boats plying the English waterways. And they really are narrow. They have to be less than 7 feet wide, so that they can fit through even the smallest locks. There seemed to be only two or three basic designs, without much structural variation. For long stretches, the canals are literally lined with boats docked end-to-end, even in relatively rural areas.
Even though the living-space must be incredibly narrow, many of the boats seemed like they were used as either part-time or full-time residences that are rarely moved from their dock. The possessions of the boat owners would often spill out onto the tow path, with lawn chairs, barbecue grills, piles of firewood, and various other items lining both sides of the trail. While modern boats can have central heating, many of the boats we saw looked like they were still heated by wood stoves. With the weather being cool and damp, you could see and smell the smoke rising out of the chimneys of the docked boats.
Narrow boats lining the Kennet-and-Avon Canal Trail. Bath, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Some of the narrow boats do go cruising, and certain sections of the canals were quite busy with boat traffic. Claverton, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The narrow boat marina at Bradford-on-Avon, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
About 15 km outside of Bradford-on-Avon, it started to drizzle, then came a light rain. We were close enough to our destination that I decided not to put on another layer of clothes, which was not particularly smart. I got very cold. PedalingGuy handles the damp weather better than I do. When we finally reached the guesthouse, I was more than ready for a warm room and hot shower.
On a windy and rainy evening, we were very happy to arrive at our bed-and-breakfast in Bradford-on-Avon, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Our room was in the stone-walled stables of an old farmhouse. After a hot shower and cup of hot chocolate, the room was very cozy. Bradford-on-Avon, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Bradford-on-Avon to Hungerford (27 April 2019, 69.4 km, 43 mi)
We woke up to 20-30 mph winds, gusting to 40 mph. According to the weather forecast, it was going to stay windy like that all day. But for a change, we weren’t too worried. The wind was out of the west, so for us it would be a tailwind all day - pushing us along. Even though the English Breakfast at our B&B wouldn’t be served until 8:15, we felt like we could take the extra time to stay and enjoy it. We hit the road very well fed.
For the first 20 km, we were still on the Kennet-and-Avon Canal Trail. The gravel and dirt surface was very bumpy. Although it was nice to have the wind at our backs, we didn’t get the full benefit of having it push us along because of the rough surface. We probably went a little bit faster than we would have without the wind, but not that much.
The canal continued to be crowded with narrow boats. Because it was Saturday, there were also a lot of people out enjoying the trail, especially people walking their dogs. Most of them were very polite, and held their dogs to the side so we could ride by. But the crowded trails also kept the pace fairly slow.
Another marina, jam-packed with narrow boats. Staverton, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Almost all of the locks along England’s canals are self-service, with boaters emptying and filling the locks themselves. You get the feeling that most folks enjoy the hands-on, physical activity of operating the locks, that gives them a chance to get out of the boat and walk around. Send, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
It’s not easy sending a canal uphill. Caen Hill rises a modest 237 feet over 2 miles (72 m over 3.2 km). But it requires 29 consecutive locks to get a boat over the top, the longest flight of locks in Great Britain. Devizes, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The strong winds had knocked a lot of leaves off the trees, and even downed a few branches. At one spot we passed a huge limb that had fallen across the tow path, and landed between a couple of the canal boats. Devizes, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
After 20 km, we left the canal and headed into the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Back on paved roads, we moved along quickly. The wind was mostly at our backs, giving us a big assist. The landscape was hilly, and the farm roads were narrow. But there was very little traffic to contend with, which once again gave us the pleasant feeling of riding on a dedicated cycling path.
Red-legged Partridges were common in spots within the North Wessex Downs. At one point, PedalingGuy startled a partridge in the road, and it flew along in front of him for a couple of hundred feet - not quite sure how to escape the strange beast that was chasing it. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Traditional thatched roofs were the norm in Britain for more than a millennium, and are still quite popular for rural cottages. Milton Lilbourne, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Even though we stayed on roads for the rest of the day, we followed the general path of the Kennett-and-Avon Canal, and crossed it four times on our way to Hungerford. New Mill, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Just a couple of kilometers outside of Hungerford, we stopped for a quick, roadside break. We were next to a large, open field of grass that was only a couple of inches high. Pretty soon we noticed 4-5 giant rabbits - actually European Hares - out in the field. Hares were introduced to the British Isles more than 2000 years ago by the Romans. They are easily double the size of the regular rabbits and look really big, especially with their long ears and lanky legs. One was chasing several of the others around in the field. Apparently “boxing” (including chasing) is a major part of the hares’ breeding rituals. They were incredibly fast - they can run up to 70 kmph (45 mph). Very impressive.
His nickname could be The Flash. We saw a bunch of European Hares chasing each other around in a field, and they were really fast. North Standen, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Once we reached Hungerford, the remainder of the day continued to be windy. So we hunkered down in our hotel room for the night.
We stayed at the Three Swans Inn in Hungerford, England, UK. It’s an old stage-coach inn, dating back to the 1500s. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The Inn was across the street from Hungerford’s Town Hall. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Layover Day in Hungerford (28 April 2019)
It was another windy day. Although it was not forecast to be quite as windy as yesterday (“only” 15-20 mph), the wind shifted to the north. So today it would have been a crosswind, with some headwinds. We decided to take a layover day - we’ve got one more day off that we can take off before reaching London. Of course, we slept in.
The Kennet-and-Avon Canal, where it passes through Hungerford, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
