Explorer's Guide
A Holiday Guide to the Kennet and Avon Canal
20th April 2026
You may have heard about the 200-year-old Kennet and Avon Canal as one of the best walking and cycling trails in England. It’s also one of the most relaxing and engaging narrowboat routes in the British countryside, and one that leaves people coming back to experience other parts of it.
Imagine gliding into the Roman city of Bath or simply finding a quiet stretch of water for an escape from the everyday. This guide explains the routes you can travel, where you can start from, and what you’ll experience on the way.
An overview of the K&A Canal
The Kennet & Avon Canal in Southern England is a linear waterway that links the River Kennet and the River Avon.
|
Entire Canal Length |
87 miles (Reading to Bristol) |
|
Total Locks |
Between 2 and 186 (route depending) |
|
Typical Duration |
3-14 nights |
|
Daily Cruising Hours |
4-6 hours (depending on route) |
|
Starting Points |
Hilperton Marina (Wiltshire) or Aldermaston Wharf (Berkshire) |
A stretch of this canal (and one of our boats!) featured on Episode 5 of Handcuffed: Last One Standing, hosted by Jonathan Ross on Channel 4.
Kennet and Avon Canal map
What makes the Kennet and Avon Canal special?
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a straightforward, linear waterway that boaters, cyclists and avid walkers can travel over a few days. That versatility makes it well-suited to an active holiday on the water. But it wasn’t always as lovely as it is now.
It took 80 years to complete the joining of the River Kennet and the River Avon in 1810, only for the canal to fall into decline after the railways arrived during the Industrial Revolution. Today, you can experience multiple eras of English history along the waterway, from Roman spa towns and Georgian terraces in Bradford-on-Avon to medieval buildings in Devizes.
There’s a pace that suits everyone. Choose from multiple trails to walk, hike or run, sit back with the kettle on repeat all day watching cows graze in the fields, or moor along the canal to detour to country pubs.
ABC Boat Hire has two marinas on the K&A: Hilperton Marina in Wiltshire and Aldermaston Wharf in Berkshire. Your starting point shapes your adventure.
How to plan your route along the Kennet and Avon Canal
Planning a canal boat holiday can feel overwhelming when there’s so much to explore. The good news is that the Kennet and Avon rewards almost any amount of time you give it. A long weekend feels satisfying. Two weeks might leave you wanting more.
From Hilperton Marina
Hilperton Marina sits near the western side of the canal, giving you a choice of direction depending on how long you want to be on the water. Head west for Bath and eventually Bristol, or take a shorter trip to Bradford-on-Avon and the foot of Caen Hill. Head east and you’re into quieter, more rural water, venturing into Devizes, the Vale of Pewsey, Hungerford and Newbury.
Bradford-on-Avon and Return
- 3 nights
- 14 locks
- 5-7 hours cruising per day, 11 hours total
An ideal introduction to the canal. You’ll cross the Avon valley over Ladydown and Biss Aqueducts before arriving in Bradford-on-Avon, a beautifully preserved town of terraced stone buildings sometimes called ‘a miniature Bath’.
The 14th-century Tithe Barn sits right on the canalside: 168 feet long with a timber cruck roof and one of the finest monastic barns in the country. We recommend allowing a full day to explore the town, then take the second day to cruise as far as the base of the Caen Hill Flight, getting a taste of what lies further east before turning back at your own pace.
Bath and Return
- 3-4 nights
- 2 or 14 locks
- 5-6 hours cruising per day, 12-18 hours total
The route that most people picture when they imagine a Kennet and Avon holiday. You’ll pass through Bradford-on-Avon and cross two of John Rennie’s finest aqueducts, Avoncliff and Dundas, before the canal climbs through Sydney Gardens and under Cleveland House Tunnel into Bath itself. The shorter lock option lets you moor at the top of the city; the fuller route carries you through Bath Deep Lock, one of the deepest on the entire canal network, and down to join the River Avon at the bottom.
The Royal Crescent, Roman Baths and riverside restaurants are all within easy reach of the moorings. You may end up spending longer than you thought here, which is never a bad problem to have.
Devizes and Return
- 4 nights
- 72 locks
- 7 hours cruising per day, 21 hours total
A route defined by one of the great spectacles on the British canal network. Shortly after leaving Hilperton, the locks at Semington and Seend build the anticipation before the Caen Hill Lock Flight arrives: 29 locks carrying boats 237 feet up a steep hillside for just over two miles. We recommend allowing a full morning for this, setting off early and taking it steady. The view looking back down the flight from the top is something you won’t forget.
Beyond Caen Hill, the historic market town of Devizes is a genuine reward. There are over 500 listed buildings, a canal museum and the Wadworth Brewery to explore.
Bristol and Return
- 7 nights
- 28 locks
- 4 hours cruising per day, 25 hours total
The full western journey from Hilperton Marina. After Bath, your route leaves the canal and follows the River Avon through open countryside and large river locks before the feeder canal makes a straight run into the heart of Bristol’s Floating Harbour. It’s a city with a deep and complex history and a lively contemporary waterfront, with art galleries, museums and good food right next to the water.
The relatively low lock count on this route means it’s ideal for those who want a less physically demanding experience, leaving more energy to explore each stop.
Reading and Return
- 14 nights
- 186 locks
- 6 hours cruising per day, 85 hours total
This route is the full length of the Kennet and Avon Canal from Hilperton and one that’s packed with variety. After Caen Hill and Devizes, the journey quietens through the Vale of Pewsey. You’ll find Honeystreet’s canalside Barge Inn, Savernake Forest, Crofton Pumping Station, and the antique town of Hungerford, all before you reach Reading and its junction with the Thames.
If you want to see everything the Kennet and Avon Canal has to offer, this route is for you.
From Aldermaston Wharf
Aldermaston Wharf sits on the eastern stretch of the canal, placing you closer to the River Kennet and some of the more rural sections of the waterway. It’s a natural starting point for anyone who prefers gradual countryside over immediate urban and city cruising.
Newbury and Return
- 3 nights
- 22 locks
- 5 hours cruising per day, 12 hours total
A gentle introduction to the canal, and one with more history than it first appears. You’ll pass Monkey Marsh Lock, an ancient monument and one of the only two remaining turf-sided locks in England, before reaching Newbury. This former cloth town has Civil War battle sites on its doorstep and a more recent moment of history in the Greenham Common Peace Camp. Good moorings and an easy pace make this a confident choice for first-time boaters wanting the full canal boat experience.
Henley and Return
- 3 nights
- 30 locks
- 6 hours cruising per day, 20 hours total
Heading east rather than west, this route leaves the Kennet and Avon Canal at Reading and joins the River Thames for a cruise to Henley-on-Thames, home of the Royal Regatta since 1839 and the award-winning River and Rowing Museum. You’ll also pass the former Reading Gaol, where Oscar Wilde served two years and wrote the Ballad of Reading Gaol, as well as the pretty village of Sonning and the riverside inns of Wargrave. A Thames Licence is included in the cost of all boats from Aldermaston Wharf.
Hungerford and Return
- 4 nights
- 42 locks
- 7.5 hours cruising per day, 23 hours total
The canal ascends steadily through remote, wood-lined scenery on the way to Hungerford, a market town renowned for its antique shops and one of the most historic inns in England; the Bear Hotel hosted Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Samuel Pepys, among others. The peace on this stretch is interrupted only by the occasional high-speed train on the line that runs alongside the waterway. It’s a fulfilling route for those who want countryside and character in equal measure.
Pewsey and Return
- 7 nights
- 90 locks
- 6.5 hours cruising per day, 45.5 total
The full eastern adventure from Aldermaston, taking in Caen Hill in reverse before the canal opens out into the Vale of Pewsey. Crop circle country, white horses carved into hillsides, Crofton’s ancient beam engines and the edge of the Savernake Forest all feature on a route that offers something new at every turn. If you’re looking for the Kennet and Avon Canal at its most atmospheric, this is it.
Bath and Return
- 14 nights
- 176 locks
- 6.5 hours cruising per day, 82 hours total
The longest route from Aldermaston on the K&A, covering almost the full length of this canal. You’ll travel through Hungerford, Pewsey, and Devizes, including a descent on Caen Hill rather than a climb, before continuing through Bradford-on-Avon and the two great aqueducts into Bath. A fortnight feels generous until you’re doing it, where it feels exactly right.
Key landmarks on the Kennet and Avon Canal
There are five standout landmarks you’ll experience on your travels through the Kennet and Avon Canal, depending on which route you take.
Caen Hill Locks, near Devizes
This flight has 29 locks, rising 237 feet over two and a quarter miles, and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways. Some say it’s the defining experience of their eastern route.
Avoncliff and Dundas Aqueducts
Two consecutive engineering landmarks by John Rennie, both carrying the canal over the River Avon between Bradford-on-Avon and Bath. Look out for the carved signatures of the stonemasons on Dundas.
Bath city centre
Your entry to the city on a narrowboat is quiet yet dramatic, witnessing the cast-iron bridges and the buzz of urban life.
Crofton Pumping Station
This houses the oldest fully working beam engines in the world, including the original 200-year-old Boulton and Watt. It still pumps water to the canal summit when in steam.
Savernake Forest
Over 3,000 acres of the ancient woodland are mentioned in the Domesday Book, with Capability Brown’s four-mile Grand Avenue at its centre. It’s definitely one of the K&A Canal’s most atmospheric stretches.
Read our guide to the villages you can visit along the Kennet and Avon Canal.
How difficult is the Kennet and Avon Canal?
The Kennet and Avon Canal is one of the more accessible routes for first-time boaters and is still rewarding for those who’ve cruised before.
- Easiest: The western stretch from Hilperton to Bradford-on-Avon and the sections east of Devizes through the Vale of Pewsey.
- Moderate: Navigating into Bath and approaching Bristol’s Floating Harbour, where boat traffic increases.
- Challenging: The Caen Hill Lock Flight and the River Kennet sections east of Newbury.
The shorter routes from either marina are a great place to start if you’re new to canal boat holidays.
How long do you need to travel along the canal?
There isn’t a set number of days you have to do it in. A three-night break gives you a taste of the canal without the pressure of a longer trip, while seven nights opens up Bath or Pewsey properly. A fortnight gives you the full experience.
Some of our boaters have added one extra night to whatever they’d originally planned to make the whole experience more relaxed. There’s no prize for rushing, after all.
Your Kennet and Avon Canal adventure starts here
Whether you’re picturing Bath on a summer evening or crave the adrenaline of working through Caen Hill with your crew, the Kennet and Avon Canal delivers exactly what you’d hoped for.
Speak to our team to talk through which route suits your group, or browse available dates in the banner above to get started.
