Kennet and Avon Canal

Quick Facts

• Length: 87 miles end-to-end (Bristol to Reading), comprising the navigable River Avon (Bristol–Bath), the canal proper (Bath–Newbury) and the navigable River Kennet (Newbury–Reading)
• Locks: 105 in total across the three sections
• Connects: River Avon at Bristol → River Thames at Reading
• Build period & engineer: completed 1810, engineered by John Rennie
• Boat dimensions: built for barges 73 ft long by 13 ft 10 in beam; broad locks throughout
• Typical cruise time: 10–14 days one-way at a steady pace; a fortnight is comfortable end-to-end

What's it like to cruise?

A broad canal with serious engineering, big locks, river sections and exceptional scenery. The Wiltshire downland section is spectacular and feels remote. The river sections at either end are wider and busier. This is a long, lock-heavy canal — you do not casually pop on the K&A. Many holidays focus on a section: the Bath end, the Devizes section over Caen Hill, or the Pewsey Vale.

Highlights along the route

• Caen Hill Locks — 29 locks in 2 miles at Devizes, with 16 in a single iconic flight. One of the great waterway sights in Britain.
• Bath — the canal enters the city through Sydney Gardens and drops down the Widcombe flight to the Avon.
• Dundas and Avoncliff Aqueducts — Rennie's elegant stone crossings of the River Avon.
• Crofton Pumping Station — working steam beam engines, still pumping the canal summit on event weekends.
• Bradford-on-Avon — handsome stone town with the wharf and tithe barn.
• Pewsey Vale — long, level, rural cruising under the Wiltshire downs.
• Newbury and the Kennet — the river section is pretty but has some awkward locks and weir streams.

Connections & cruising rings

Joins the River Severn at Sharpness via the River Avon (Bristol Avon, not the Warwickshire Avon) and the Thames at Reading. The K&A makes the southern leg of the "Thames Ring" with the Thames and the South Oxford Canal — a serious 3–4 week trip.

Suitable for

Confident boaters and those happy to handle a big lock day. Caen Hill is the headline test — about 5–6 hours of solid lockwheeling to do the full flight. The river sections add tidal-style awareness even where they are not tidal: weir streams, varying flow after rain, and bigger river craft. Not the gentlest first-time canal but rewarding for experienced crews.

Practicalities

• Stoppages: the K&A has had ongoing summit-level water-supply pressure; check CRT for restrictions on lock operating hours during dry spells.
• Water and elsan: well served — Bath, Bradford-on-Avon, Devizes (Caen Hill top), Pewsey, Hungerford, Newbury, Reading.
• Mobile signal: good in the towns, patchy in the Vale of Pewsey and on the downs.
• Pump-out: available at most marinas along the canal.
• Bristol Harbour and the tidal Avon at Hanham require advance planning and tide-aware navigation.

Best time to cruise

Late spring and early autumn give the best lock-queue conditions. Summer is busy at Caen Hill and Bath, but the long pounds keep things flowing. Water restrictions occasionally trim opening hours at Caen Hill in dry years — May/June is the safest window.