Your floating hotel on the Canals and Rivers of the UK

Our guide to the waterways of the UK in detail.

Pictures of the Kennet& Avon Canal.

Devizes to Bath.

This is one of the most splendid lengths of artificial waterway in the UK. It is a broad canal cutting across Southern England from the Thames at Reading to the Bristol Channel at Bristol. It's generous dimensions and fine architecture fit in with the rolling downs and open plains it goes through. The navigation was built in three sections.

This page is about the Canal, fifty seven miles long with seventy-nine broad locks and one short tunnel was built to connect the two river Navigations, eventually it bought both navigation companies so the whole Kennet and Avon Navigation came under one ownership.

It specifically describes the canal to the west of Devizes.

The canal first descends Caen hill in a famous flight of twenty nine locks within the first two miles. Sixteen of them are in a straight line and provide an unforgettable experience with the large side pounds off to one side and the line of thirty two sets of balance beams stretching out in front of you. The lowering to the Bradford level continues over the next four miles with two short flights with a total of seven locks.

Another level pound set in the country follows, fourteen miles just broken once by the isolated lock in Bradford itself. For most of this distance the canal clings to the side of the valley of the river Avon crossing it twice on the magnificent neo-classical aqueducts at Avoncliffe and Dundas. You pass the unique water powered pumping station at Claverton. The valley gets deeper and the River Avon slowly sinks below you until the city of Bath appears set out below you.

For its final entry into Bath the canal follows a sweeping descent round the south of the city, going down the Widcombe flight of six locks, one of them the famous deep lock with a drop of nineteen feet, one of the deepest in the UK. Finally reaching the River Avon and going to moor right in the centre of the city.

Caen hill locks.		Water powered water pumping station.
Miles of peaceful rural canal.		Bath locks.

Some pictures of this canal?

Reading to Devizes. / Bath to Bristol.

A history of this canal. / General information on the canal.

Find our information about other canals on the canal index page.

If you have any questions then do ring us on 07977 229103
or email us at martinreed@reedboats.co.uk