The Kennet and Avon Canal. Steve Davison

      From the south side of the swing bridge (31) at Woolhampton, head west between the canal and the Rowbarge pub (0118 971 2213), soon passing Woolhampton Lock (94). Cross over at the swing bridge (33), pass a lock (93) and cross back again at the next swing bridge (35).

      Continue along the south side for 3.3km, passing under the minor road at Midgham Bridge (36). The A4 and the Coach and Horses pub (0118 971 3384) are 500 metres to the north; the Berkshire Arms (0118 971 4114, accommodation) is 400 metres west along the A4. After passing Midgham Lock (92), keep ahead to pass a bridge, then a row of houses and then Colthrop Lock (91) to reach the road bridge (42) at Thatcham. To the right is Thatcham railway station, with the Swan pub (01635 862084, accommodation) 75 metres further on.

      The Rowbarge pub at Woolhampton marks the end of Stage 1 and the start of Stage 2

      Thatcham, which offers a full range of services, has a long history stretching back several millennia and it was here that the Roman road between Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester) and Corinium (Cirencester) crossed the River Kennet. Just to the east of the town, on the north side of the canal, was the location of Colthrop Mill (closed in 2000), where paper had been produced for over 200 years.

      Cross the canal at the bridge and continue along the north side past Monkey Marsh Lock (90); this is the second of only two turf-sided locks on the canal (the first – Garston Lock – was passed in Stage 1) and dates from the opening of the Kennet Navigation around 1720. Continue along the north side of the canal for 3.9km, passing Widmead Lock (89).

      The path to the right, just after the lock, leads across the railway (care required) to the Nature Discovery Centre. The wildlife centre, managed by Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), consists of several flooded gravel pits that provide a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife including damselflies, dragonflies, common terns, and plants such as purple loosestrife and yellow flag iris; the area is also a good place to see a range of wintering wildfowl. The adjacent Thatcham Reedbeds reserve, one of the largest areas of inland reedbed in southern England, is home to warblers (reed, sedge and Cetti’s) and the diminutive Desmoulin’s snail. The centre has a café and toilets (800 metres each way).

      Head under a railway bridge and then past Bull’s Lock (88) and a swing bridge to reach Ham Bridge (B3421). Cross to the south side of the canal and continue past Ham Lock (87) before crossing back to the north side at bridge 53. Continue over a footbridge at the boatyard (marina) entrance and then pass a lock (86). Keep ahead past a footbridge and soon, across the canal on the left, is Newbury Marina.

      Pass under the A339 and continue, with Victoria Park on the right; the next bridge (59) gives access to Newbury Wharf and Newbury town centre (full range of facilities).

      The Teashop by the Canal and restored wharfside crane at Newbury

      NEWBURY

      To access the town centre, bear right just before the bridge (59), then turn sharp left to head south across the canal to an area that used to be Newbury Wharf; over to the left is a small stone building housing the Teashop by the Canal (01635 522609), while to the right are toilets. Newbury Wharf marked the terminus of the Kennet Navigation until the Kennet and Avon Canal was completed.

      Keep ahead for 75 metres and turn right along Wharf Street alongside the 17th-century Granary (former grain store) and Cloth Hall, which now houses the West Berkshire Museum (01635 519562), to reach the Market Place (market days are Thursday and Saturday). Straight on leads to Bartholomew Street and St Nicolas’ Church (keep ahead and you soon rejoin the canal at West Mills). To access the railway station, head south through the Market Place, then follow Cheap Street for 300 metres, later curving right to the station.

      In the late 15th century, Newbury was highly regarded for its cloth and the town’s most famous clothier was John Smallwood (or Winchcombe), known as ‘Jack of Newbury’. He helped fund the rebuilding of St Nicolas’ Church (visited in Walk 4), a fine example of an early 16th-century Perpendicular-style ‘wool church’; the church contains a memorial to him.

      To the south-east of the town is Newbury Racecourse, which opened in 1905, and Greenham Common (visited in Walk 3), a name synonymous with women’s peace camps during the Cold War. The airbase has now gone and much of the land has been reverted to open common, home to a wide variety of wildlife.

      Continue along the north side of the canal towards Town Bridge (60). Go straight across the pedestrianised street heading towards the Lock, Stock and Barrel pub (01635 580550), bear left through the alleyway to the canal and turn right along the towpath over Lock Island passing Newbury Lock (85). To the right is a granite sculpture called Ebb and Flow, by Peter Randall-Page, which fills and empties with the movement of water through the lock.

      Cross the canal at the swing bridge (62) to join West Mills road and turn right between the cottages and the canal. Follow the south side of the canal for 1.3km, heading towards open countryside, before crossing over via the bridge (64) just before Guyer’s Lock (84). On the way, across the canal, is the brick abutment of a bridge that carried the Lambourn Valley Railway over the canal; the line, which opened in 1898, finally closed in 1973.

      Continue for 7.2km, passing under the A34, then passing a lock (83) and the railway bridge (65), then another bridge (66) and lock (82) to reach a minor road bridge beside a pillbox, with Marsh Benham to the right. For the Red House pub (01635 582017), turn right along the road to the crossroads and go right (600 metres each way); left leads to Hamstead Marshall.

      Hamstead Marshall originally developed close to the banks of the River Kennet and this is where the 12th-century St Mary’s Church is located. In 1661, the 1st Earl of Craven commissioned the Dutch architect Sir Balthazar Gerbier to build a grand mansion in Hamstead Park. Unfortunately the house was extensively damaged by fire in 1718 and was later demolished; all that remain today are several pairs of elaborate gateposts just south of the church (visited on Walk 5). A quick look at the map reveals that there are three earth mounds near the church that were built as motte-and-bailey castles during the late 11th or early 12th century.

      After crossing the road, continue straight on past three more locks: Hamstead (81), Copse (80) and Dreweat’s (79). On the opposite bank, after Dreweat’s Lock, is Irish Hill, the site of an old whiting works, where chalk was ground into a fine powder for use in products such as paint. Keep ahead past Shepherd’s Bridge (73) to arrive at the road bridge (75) at Kintbury. Just to the right is the railway station, across the road is parking and toilets, and to the left is the perfectly located canalside Dundas Arms pub (01488 658263, accommodation).

      Kintbury is home to the picturesque 12th-century St Mary’s Church, which houses several interesting monuments. To visit the church, either turn left along the road for 400 metres or turn left at the next bridge (76) and follow the path up past the Old Vicarage. A local legend tells of the Kintbury Great Bell, which once hung in the church tower; when the tower was destroyed by a great storm, the bell supposedly sank into the River Kennet and has remained hidden there ever since, despite many attempts to retrieve it.

      There is also a shop and post office, the Blue Ball pub (01488 608126) and the Cocochoux Cake Café (01488 658717).

      Continue along the north side of the canal for 3.7km, passing three locks (78, 77 and 76) and five bridges. After the first bridge (76), look left for a view of the 19th-century Old Vicarage, with the church tower behind. An earlier vicarage stood on the same site and was visited on a number of occasions by the great romantic novelist Jane Austen.

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