Cycling UK Forum

Hello all

A friend and I are considering a two day ride along cycle route 4 down the Kennet and Avon canal between Bath and Reading. Does anyone have any recent experience of the condition of the towpath, would it be suitable for a road bike? (or hybrid with 32mm tyres)?

Thanks

From Bath to Bradford on Avon is excellent. A road bike with good tyres would be fine. From BoA to Devizes was not quite so good the last time I did it (about 2 years ago), but I was on a road bike and it was ok. After Devizes I don't know.

A road bike would be fine/ok to Devizes.Thereafter towards Reading it's not so good in parts plus there's a tunnel with no towpath.Some lovely lanes close by though so take some detours on those.

I rode this route last September. At some point (between Newbury and Kintbury, I think) the towpath condition deteriorates to the point that the official NCN route takes you on to roads for a few miles, before re-joining the towpath further on. I went by road bike all the way from Newbury to Bath, and found the surface to be generally fine.

Thanks guys, greatly appreciated!

I rode this a few years ago and it is a great ride, but there are some rough stretches as much of it is unpaved ie grass or mud. Also, I seem to remember that the last bit into Reading is footpath and not cyclable (I did, but had to carry over stiles, etc). Not sure if this has changed now.

Most years, I ride some of the Pewsey to Devizes stretch (I camp at Honeystreet) and this can get a bit rough, particularly if it has been wet. Also if it is the weekend, your ride can be disrupted by numerous anglers who lay their poles acroos the towpath. Try to avoid weekends! A good bell helps.

There used to be a map of the canal produced by the K&A Trust - contact them at the museum in Devize. Also worth having some sort of road map in case the towpath gets unrideable or you run out of time, etc.

A friend and I rode the K and A canal in June last year. We had a British Waterways map which I bought from Sustrans for £4.95. Scale 1:53,750 (approx)! Altho' it's a boating map it shows the cycle route.
We were on 20" wheels with moderately fat tyres.(See Travellers Tales-Beryl Leech Mar 18 below.)
The cycle route leaves the canal just E of Devizes, uses local roads until between Kintbury and Newbury when it returns to the towpath. There was a length of bad surface (loose stones) which I think was E of Aldermaston wharf, but I'm not sure. The ride into Reading was no problem. I didn't come across the stiles or tunnel mentioned by other posters.